Judge blocks President Donald Trump deportation of Columbia protest leader

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian protest leader who led anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia University.

Judge Nina Froes terminated the case after saying federal authorities made a procedural error and failed to certify a document they attempted to submit as evidence.

“I am grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law and holding the line against the government’s attempts to trample on due process,” Mahdawi said in a statement.. “This decision is an important step towards upholding what fear tried to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice.”

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin condemned the ruling on Tuesday, saying the Trump administration remains committed to removing Mahdawi’s visa.

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“No activist judge, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that,” she said.

Froes’ ruling relates to a document submitted as evidence by federal attorneys. The document referenced Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying noncitizens can be expelled from the country if their presence may undermine U.S. foreign policy interests.

Froes wrote in her ruling that government attorneys submitted a photocopy of the document to the court, but they failed to certify it as required under federal law.

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Mahdawi, 34, was detained in April 2025 during a citizenship appointment in Vermont and spent more than two weeks in custody. He was later released on bail after filing a habeas corpus petition.

A federal judge ordered that he not be deported or removed from the state and was released under an order issued by U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford in Burlington.

According to the 2025 court filing, Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack. He founded the group with Mahmoud Khalil.

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Mahdawi’s deportation case also stems in part from allegations dating back to 2015, when he was interviewed by the FBI after reportedly making antisemitic remarks at a Vermont gun store and a firearms museum.

According to court documents previously cited by Fox News Digital, the store owner said Mahdawi expressed interest in purchasing firearms, including a sniper rifle and an automatic weapon.

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The owner claimed he had experience building modified 9mm submachine guns “to kill Jews while he was in Palestine.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.