US immigration judge rejects Trump bid to deport Columbia student Mahdawi

Al JazeeraEN 3 min read 100% complete by By ReutersFebruary 18, 2026 at 12:34 AM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

In February 2026, a US immigration judge ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to deport Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and Palestinian activist. Mahdawi was arrested in April 2025 for protesting against Israel’s actions in Gaza, part of a broader crackdown on campus demonstrations during Trump's administration. The decision, revealed in court filings, was made "without prejudice," meaning the government could refile the case. Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident who has lived in Vermont for 10 years, expressed gratitude for the ruling, framing it as a victory for free speech. The case is also connected to the detention of another student protester, Mahmoud Khalil, by ICE in March 2025.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

West Bank 30% Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 30% Mahmoud Khalil ×230% American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ×240% Vermont 40% Gaza Strip 50% Columbia University ×260% United States 70% Donald Trump ×480% Mohsen Mahdawi ×790%

Keywords

palestinian student activist 90% deportation proceedings 90% immigration judge 80% trump administration 80% immigration court 70% pro-palestinian protests 70% free-speech rights 70% due process 60% rule of law 60% gaza 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 51 related topics

View Full Graph

palestinian student activist deportation proceedings immigration judge trump administration immigration court pro-palestinian protests free-speech rights due process rule of law gaza

Explore Full Topic Graph

Find Similar Articles

AI-Powered

Discover articles with similar content using semantic similarity analysis.