Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old Palestinian activist, celebrated a significant milestone as he graduated from Columbia University’s School of General Studies with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. His breakthrough came mere weeks after he was released from immigration detention. There, he fought deportation under the harsh policies of the Trump administration. He’s graduated on the heels of historic – and still unfolding – legal challenges, and his long-term future remains clouded by uncertainty.
On April 14, Mahdawi’s journey changed course in a very dramatic way. As he was going to his naturalization interview in Colchester, Vermont, he was served with a sudden deportation order. He has not been convicted of or charged with any crime. Yet, he became ensnared in an immigration regime widely accursed for its cruelty and callousness towards individuals such as him. A federal judge intervened two weeks later, releasing Mahdawi and likening the government’s actions to McCarthyist repression, highlighting concerns about civil liberties and due process.
Draped in a keffiyeh, Mahdawi beamed as she strode across the stage at the graduation. He celebrated his community’s cultural pride and resilience. He received his diploma with great dignity, blowing a kiss to the stands. As he bowed, he was celebrating a pinnacle of success after rising above a stormy path.
“They wanted me to be in a prison, in prison clothes, to not have education and to not have joy or celebration,” Mahdawi stated, reflecting on the challenges he faced leading up to his graduation.
Mahdawi’s future is still far from certain despite his academic successes. He is now being held in Louisiana while he waits for a ruling from a federal judge on whether he will be released. The experience has driven him to reconsider his plans. This shift happened after he found out that he wasn’t going to get any money to continue his education. Despite these setbacks, he has not stopped standing up for the Palestinian cause and still enjoys widespread support from his home Columbia community.
In tackling the bigger picture of his plight, Mahdawi worried that politics was taking over the realm of education. He remarked, “The senior administration is selling the soul of this university to the Trump administration, participating in the destruction and the degradation of our democracy.”
Mahdawi too is preparing for a protracted legal fight. In the meantime, he’s looking forward to finally getting his diploma from Columbia’s master’s program in international studies later this week. His fierce personal commitment to justice and education comes through even stronger. It meets the moment that is the developing feeling among many advocates for equity and social justice.
The Columbia community has rallied around Mahdawi during this challenging time, showcasing solidarity and support for his efforts. As Mahdawi begins to write a new chapter in his life, my friend’s story illuminates the moral ambiguities of immigration policies today. These policies have really serious implications for the people pursuing higher education and fighting on behalf of advocacy.