Immigration judge blocks Trump administration’s attempt to deport Palestinian student

Wednesday 18 February 2026 - 10:30

By: Sahili Aya

Immigration judge blocks Trump administration’s attempt to deport Palestinian student

A U.S. immigration judge has rejected efforts by the administration of Donald Trump to deport a Palestinian student involved in pro-Palestinian campus activism, marking the latest legal setback in a broader crackdown on non-citizen demonstrators.

The case concerns Mohsen Mahdawi, a student at Columbia University, who was arrested in 2025 after participating in protests related to the war in Gaza. Immigration authorities had sought his removal from the United States, arguing that his activism warranted revocation of his legal status.

In a ruling issued last week, Immigration Judge Nina Froes determined that the Department of Homeland Security had failed to meet its burden of proof to justify deportation. According to court filings, the government relied in part on an unsigned or unauthenticated document attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which the judge found insufficient as evidence.

Mahdawi’s legal team described the decision as a significant affirmation of due process and free expression. In a public statement, the student said the ruling upheld the right to advocate peacefully for justice without fear of intimidation.

The administration retains the option to appeal the decision before the Board of Immigration Appeals, which operates under the U.S. Department of Justice. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling, arguing that visas and permanent residency status are privileges that may be withdrawn under certain circumstances.

Mahdawi, who grew up in a refugee camp in the West Bank, had been detained earlier in 2025 while attending an interview related to his citizenship application. A federal judge subsequently ordered that he not be deported or transferred out of Vermont while legal proceedings continued. After two weeks in custody, he was released following a federal court order.

The case forms part of a broader series of legal disputes involving non-citizen students and scholars engaged in campus activism. In a separate matter earlier this year, an immigration judge dismissed deportation proceedings against Rumeysa Oztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, who had co-authored an opinion article critical of her university’s response to the conflict in Gaza.

Civil liberties advocates argue that such cases raise fundamental questions about the balance between immigration enforcement and constitutional protections of free speech. As legal challenges continue, the courts are expected to play a decisive role in clarifying the limits of executive authority in politically sensitive cases.