NEW YORK: US immigration agents on Monday arrested Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia student and legal permanent resident, during his citizenship interview in Vermont.
Mahdawi, a Palestinian from the West Bank, co-founded a pro-Palestinian group on campus with Mahmoud Khalil, another student the Trump administration is seeking to deport.
His lawyers argue the arrest is part of an unconstitutional crackdown on student protesters.
Video shows masked agents loading a man into an SUV.
Senator Bernie Sanders condemned the arrest, while a federal judge has blocked Mahdawi’s deportation pending further orders.
Courts have also halted the deportation of other student activists from Tufts and Columbia.
Rights groups warn the detentions threaten free speech. – AFP
