Vermont lawmakers, neighbors react after sudden arrest of Columbia student, activist Mohsen Mahdawi
There are still many unanswered questions after immigration officials arrested an Upper Valley man at a Vermont immigration office in Colchester on Monday afternoon.
Palestinian student activist Mohsen Mahdawi said he was trying to apply for United States citizenship at the time of his arrest. He is currently being held at Northwest State Correctional Facility after a federal judge in Burlington ordered him not to be removed from Vermont or the country.
NBC5 spoke with lawmakers in Montpelier and those who knew Mahdawi to learn their reactions to his sudden arrest and visa revocation.
Legislators at the State House said they were outraged by Mahdawi's arrest, saying that he was a green card holder. They said they believed his arrest was related to his acts of protest against the Israel-Hamas war while he was attending Columbia University.
Mahdawi is a resident of Hartford in Windsor County. Before attending college, community members said he spent a lot of his time at the First Universalist Society Church and volunteered for the local food co-op.
"He's exactly the kind of person that I want in our community, not just our congregation, but our wider community," said Paul Sawyer, the minister of the First Universalist Society. "He's caring, he's compassionate ... he's dedicated to peaceful resolution, to conflicts at all levels."
The minister says that he hopes Mahdawi comes home as soon as possible.
NBC5 also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to ask exactly what Mahdawi was arrested for. It referred us to the State Department. We are currently awaiting an answer.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement about Mahdawi's arrest. He said that his legal status in the United States afforded him, and all people, fundamental rights, including due process.
"Facts matter. If there is evidence that Mahdawi is a threat to the security of our nation, or Vermont, the federal government should make this information known, immediately. Probable cause based on real evidence is the only justification to deny someone their liberty, so if the federal government cannot produce that evidence, Mr. Mahdawi should be released," the statement reads.
“What cannot be justified, is how this action was undertaken. Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks.
“The power of the executive branch of the federal government is immense, but it is not infinite, and it is not absolute. We will remain in contact with the congressional delegation as we all seek further clarification of the facts in this case.”
Some lawmakers, including democratic senators Becca White, Philip Baruth, and Kesha Ram Hinsdale, are requesting that the governor terminate a memorandum of understanding between the state and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If approved by Scott or the state commissioner, the federal government would no longer have the undisputed right to put legal immigrants in prisons, and judges could keep prisoners in state, according to Sen. Baruth.
"Immigration service generally has lost our trust and should lose the trust of all Americans when you're sending masked and unidentified agents and unmarked cars out into the streets," Sen Baruth said.
The lawmakers said if their request is possible, it would keep communities together.