VERMONT — Legal representatives for Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old lawful permanent resident, filed an appeal with the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on June 11, 2026, challenging an immigration court order to deport him to Jordan.

An immigration judge ordered Mahdawi's removal to Jordan on June 4, 2026. This decision followed the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals overturning a previous rejection of deportation proceedings in early May 2026, reversing a February 2026 ruling by an immigration judge.

Mahdawi's legal team argued that his arrest violated his First Amendment right to protected speech and due process. The U.S. government stated that Mahdawi's pro-Palestinian campus activism undermined U.S. foreign policy and counter-antisemitism efforts. The government maintained its detention actions were legitimate under the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and argued that the Vermont court lacked jurisdiction.

Mahdawi was released from custody two weeks after his arrest. A federal judge had ruled on the day of his arrest that he could not be removed from Vermont while petitions against his detention were under consideration. Mahdawi's legal team described his detention as punitive and lacking legitimate purpose.

Mahdawi, who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp, has been a student and activist at universities in the West Bank and the U.S. since 2014. He served as head of the Fatah Student Movement at Birzeit University in the West Bank and co-founded the Dar: Palestinian Student Society with activist Mahmoud Khalil. In March 2024, Mahdawi stepped back from his leadership role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

Mahdawi said, "Now the administration is abusing immigration law to silence me for speaking the truth about Palestinian suffering and genocide." He added, "When a government weaponizes immigration to punish speech, millions of immigrants and citizens feel that blow."