Palestinian student arrested at citizenship interview forms group to aid other immigrants
Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, who led protests against Israel's war in Gaza at Columbia University, spent 16 days in a state prison before a judge ordered him released on 30 April. The Trump administration has said Mahdawi should be deported because his activism threatens its foreign policy goals, but the judge ruled that he has raised a 'substantial claim' that the government arrested him to stifle speech with which it disagrees.
Immigration authorities have detained college students from around the country since the first days of the Trump administration. Many of them participated in campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians. Mahdawi was among the first to win his freedom after challenging his arrest.
'Justice is inevitable. We will not fear anyone because our fight is a fight for love, a fight for democracy, a fight for humanity,' Mahdawi told supporters outside the courthouse last week.
He will join Vermont state treasurer Mike Pieciak, state senate majority leader Kesha Ram Hinsdale and community advocates at the statehouse to announce the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund. The group, which also includes lawyers and philanthropists, says the goal is to improve access to legal advice for immigrants and build long-term infrastructure within the justice system as it pertains to immigration law.
Members of Vermont's congressional delegation have spoken up on Mahdawi's behalf, as have state politicians. Vermont's house and senate passed resolutions condemning the circumstances of his detention and advocating for his release and due process rights.
Vermont's Republican governor, Phil Scott, has said there is no justification for the manner in which Mahdawi was arrested, at an immigration office in Colchester.
'Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks,' the governor said the next day. 'The power of the executive branch of the federal government is immense, but it is not infinite, and it is not absolute.'
Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident, was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. At Columbia, he organized campus protests and co-founded the Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the US and graduate student who was arrested in March.
Mahdawi's release, which is being challenged by the government, allows him to travel outside his home state of Vermont and attend his graduation from Columbia in New York later this month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Witkoff plans to visit the Mideast in push for Gaza ceasefire, State Department spokesperson says
President Donald Trump 's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, planned to head to the Middle East as the U.S. tries once again to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the State Department 's spokesperson said Tuesday. Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that Witkoff was going to the region with a 'strong hope' that the U.S. can deliver a ceasefire deal as well as a new humanitarian corridor for aid distribution. 'I would suggest that we might have some good news, but, again, as we know, this could be a constantly changing dynamic,' said Bruce, who didn't have other details about where Witkoff would be going or what he had planned. Three U.S. officials said Witkoff is traveling to Europe this week to discuss a range of issues, including Gaza and the push for a ceasefire, but they had no details about Middle East stops and did not share where specifically Witkoff would travel to and when. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The State Department press office didn't respond to messages seeking more details on Witkoff's travel, and it wasn't immediately clear what his schedule would be this week. A breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal has eluded the Trump administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza. The territory had its deadliest day yet for aid-seekers in over 21 months of war, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to reach food Sunday. The Israeli army has said it fired warning shots, but says the reported death toll was greatly inflated. The United Nations' food agency accused Israeli forces of firing on the crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid. Bruce said the incident that took place while civilians were trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel is 'absolutely horrible" and reinforced why the U.S. is pushing for a new humanitarian corridor to be created as part of any truce. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place. The U.S. plan calls for a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release some hostages while Israel would free Palestinian prisoners and allow a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza. During the 60 days, the sides are also to begin negotiations on a permanent end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas yields power and is disarmed, while Hamas says it will not release all of the hostages until the war is over. It is seeking assurances that Netanyahu will not resume the war after the 60 days, as he did in March after an early ceasefire expired. Hamas is holding 50 hostages — 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. ___
Reuters
18 minutes ago
- Reuters
More than 100 aid, rights groups call for action as hunger spreads in Gaza
July 23 (Reuters) - More than 100 largely aid and rights groups on Wednesday called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid. In a statement signed by 111 organizations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, the groups warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave even as tons of food, clean water, medical supplies and other items sit untouched just outside Gaza as humanitarian organizations are blocked from accessing or delivering them. "As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes," the organizations said. "The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death." The organizations called for governments to demand that all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions be lifted, all land crossings be opened, access to everyone across Gaza to be ensured and for the rejection of military-controlled distribution and a restoration of a "principled, UN-led humanitarian response." "States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition." Israel, which controls all supplies entering Gaza, denies it is responsible for shortages of food. More than 800 people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers posted near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. The foundation, backed by the United States, has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality. Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in airstrikes, shelling and shooting since launching their assault on Gaza in response to attacks on Israel by the Hamas group that killed 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in October 2023. For the first time since the war began, Palestinian officials say dozens are now also dying of hunger. Gaza has seen its food stocks run out since Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March and then lifted that blockade in May with new measures it says are needed to prevent aid from being diverted to militant groups. The Norwegian Refugee Council told Reuters on Tuesday its aid stocks were completely depleted in Gaza, with some of its staff now starving, and the organization accused Israel of paralysing its work.
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious A-list buyer snaps up $250 million of land to build 'billionaire bunker' near Trump in Florida
A secretive A-list figure has been quietly spending a staggering $250 million to assemble what appears to be the country's next ultra-exclusive 'billionaire bunker' - just a stone's throw from President Donald Trump 's Mar-a-Lago in South Florida. The identity of the deep-pocketed buyer remains officially under wraps, but the scale, location, and speed of the acquisitions have set off frenzied speculation and no shortage of rumors about who might be behind the massive land grab. According to an explosive a Wall Street Journal investigation, the anonymous buyer - possibly a tech titan, hedge fund magnate, or reclusive billionaire - has scooped up four adjacent properties north of Trump's estate on Palm Beach's ritzy North Ocean Boulevard. The purchases reportedly include two oceanfront parcels formerly owned by cosmetics heir William Lauder, together with two luxury homes across the street. Lauder originally listed the oceanfront lots for a jaw-dropping $200 million, and though the February deal never appeared in public records, sources say the final price came close. One of the properties spans 2.8 acres and offers 360 feet of pristine beach frontage - an amount practically unheard of in such a cramped area of real estate. In early June, the mystery mogul struck again this time paying $18 million in cash for a Mediterranean-style home across the street in an unsolicited offer. That home had last sold for just $4.15 million in 2018. Days later, the buyer snapped up the neighboring house for a dizzying $30 million - nearly six times its 2017 sale price. 'The prices paid… are significantly higher than their market values,' reported WSJ, quoting agents who say the strategy is to build privacy and control the block. The scale and secrecy of the acquisitions have drawn comparisons to hedge fund titan Ken Griffin, who famously spent over $400 million assembling a mega compound in Palm Beach over the past decade. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has similarly gobbled up more than $230 million in property across Indian Creek, often called 'Billionaire Bunker Island.' But this new development may eclipse even them. 'This kind of assemblage, it just signals bigger things for South Florida,' said Peggy Olin, CEO of OneWorld Properties to Fox News. 'We're going to continue seeing these types of high-net-worth individuals just continuing to make South Florida just extremely elite and a safe place for all of them to gather. It's the connectivity. 'Palm Beach, in general, is becoming one of the few places in the country where you find the billionaire bunker situation or billionaire's row, per se,' Olin told Fox. 'It's just a lot about the caché and the ultra-elite.' The inland properties were purchased through Delaware-based LLCs linked to Seattle attorney Greyson Blue, whose law firm K&L Gates has long-standing ties to Bill Gates's late father. Blue also previously worked at the Gates Foundation, fueling speculation that the famously private Microsoft co-founder could be behind the mystery deals. But a source close to the Gates Foundation quickly poured cold water on the stating 'Gates isn't the buyer of the Palm Beach properties.' Other names floated include former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, now the owner of the LA Clippers, and Charles Simonyi the software architect behind Microsoft Word and Excel - both of whom are known for operating below the radar despite their massive fortunes. Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi owns the property immediately adjacent to these parcels of land and the mystery mogul is said to have tried to buy Bon Jovi's estate off-market, but the singer wouldn't budge. Bon Jovi paid $43 million for the beachfront mansion in 2020 and according to insiders, is not interested in selling - even at a substantial profit. 'They want to remain as private as possible,' Olin said of the mystery buyer. 'They want to make sure that no one else is cramping their style… They want to do everything in private so they can get what they want at the end. 'Like him or Ken Griffin or Jeff Bezos, all of these guys are seeing South Florida as their future,' Olin said. 'To me, it is fantastic… not only in real estate, but all around.' Palm Beach agent Dana Koch of the Corcoran Group said similar noting how the 'two acres directly on the ocean with 360 feet of water frontage, along with the properties across the street, is extremely rare to find in Palm Beach.' 'After buying all of these properties at a mind-boggling number [the buyer] is protecting his investment and affording himself even more privacy,' Koch said. Mar-a-Lago is a private club and was first constructed in 1927, and was bought by Donald Trump in 1985 for $10 million, per The Palm Beach Post. Last year, the president claimed that the resort is worth around $1 billion - with the Trump International Golf Club just minutes away. He has often been seen visiting the sprawling property over the years, but has frequented less often after being elected as the 47th President of the United States last year in November. However, that has not stopped fans and visitors from traveling down to Palm Beach to get a glimpse of the resort - which is not open to the public. According to Bloomberg, those who want to become members at the exclusive resort need to pay an initiation fee of $1 million. Permanent residents in the Palm Beach area near Mar-a-Lago have been left 'aghast' by the amount of Trump supporters who have recently flooded the area. 'I think this town is a little bit aghast at itself,' Palm Beach native Celerie Kemble told The New York Times. Jon Bon Jovi was a public supporter of Kamala Harris and endorsed her last year during the presidential campaign. While promoting a song called The People's House on Instagram at the time, he also explained his endorsement to his followers. The star is known for starting the rock band Bon Jovi in 1983 - which has dropped hits such as Livin' On A Prayer, Blaze Of Glory and Bed Of Roses. The singer has been keeping busy and recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the band's 2024 album Forever last month. Along with sharing behind-the-scenes of putting the LP together, he also added a message to his fans. '1 year ago we released FOREVER in celebration of our 40th anniversary as a band,' the performer penned.
