BIA Reinstates Deportation Proceedings Against Mohsen Mahdawi

The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals has reinstated deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green card holder who helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, according to a court filing from his legal team.

The decision overturns a February ruling by Immigration Judge Nina Froes, who had blocked the government's efforts to deport the 34-year-old after determining that a key piece of evidence, a photocopied memo purportedly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lacked proper authentication. Froes, based in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, was removed from her position last month amid a broader dismissal of immigration judges.

Mahdawi, a permanent U.S. resident who was pursuing a master's degree at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in mid-April while attending a citizenship interview in Vermont. The arrest followed his role in campus demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza, which drew national attention in 2024. He was released after two weeks without criminal charges, following a federal judge's order.

Born in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West...