Appeals court reverses release order for Palestinian green card holder

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday voided a lower court judge's order for the release of a Palestinian green card holder whom immigration authorities had arrested at his naturalization interview.

Mohsen Mahdawi was a Columbia University student whom authorities detained in 2025. His case, along with that of Mahmoud Khalil, attracted scrutiny over allegations the administration had arrested him over lawful speech.

“We conclude that the district court should not have reached this question,” the judges found, according to The Hill.

Under the Trump administration, federal agencies have pursued an aggressive crackdown on both antisemitism and criticism of Israel and the U.S. by foreigners with temporary legal status in the country.

Those efforts have led to a litany of First Amendment challenges and protracted legal battles. Khalil, for his part, recently sued the administration, alleging it was working with private organizations to suppress lawful pro-Palestinian activism.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.