A federal appeals panel has reversed a lower court decision that had ordered the release of pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi. The ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York allows for the possibility of Mahdawi's re-arrest, as he is currently facing deportation efforts from the Trump administration. The appeals court found that the lower court judge had exceeded his authority by intervening in Mahdawi's case before it had fully progressed through the immigration court system.
The panel's unanimous decision does not address the merits of Mahdawi's claim that he was unconstitutionally targeted for his criticisms of Israel. Mahdawi, who was born in a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and became a legal permanent resident of the U.S. in 2015, is appealing an order of removal issued against him in immigration court. He was arrested during a citizenship interview in April 2025 as part of the Trump administration's efforts to expel noncitizens who have criticized Israel.
The 2nd Circuit court is also expected to issue a ruling regarding the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, another student who was detained after co-signing an op-ed critical of Israel. Government attorneys argued that both Mahdawi and Ozturk had improperly benefited from habeas corpus relief while their cases were pending in immigration court.