Immigration judge rules Mohsen Mahdawi can't be deported

[erronis]

https://vtdigger.org/2026/02/17/immigration-judge-rules-mohsen-mahdawi-cant-be-deported/
Shaun Robinson - VTDigger

The federal judge, Nina Froes, found that evidence the Trump administration submitted to show why Mahdawi should be removed from the country was not admissible in court, according to new legal filings.

An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist who was arrested by federal agents in Colchester last year during a U.S. citizenship interview.

The federal judge, Nina Froes, ruled Friday that evidence the Trump administration had submitted to show why Mahdawi should be removed from the country was not admissible in court, "as it lacked proper authentication" under judicial rules, according to a copy of the ruling, which was shared by Mahdawi's attorneys on Tuesday.

The Trump administration could appeal Froes' ruling. Meanwhile, Mahdawi's lawyers said in a court filing Tuesday they would continue to challenge the legal merits of the Palestinian student's detention in U.S. District Court, which is separate from the immigration court system. The latter is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mahdawi, who lives in White River Junction, was arrested by federal agents last April and was held in federal custody in a Vermont prison. Two weeks later, a federal district court judge in Vermont, Geoffrey W. Crawford, ordered Mahdawi's release on bail while his case continued to be heard. The Trump administration is still in the process of appealing Crawford's decision before a federal appeals panel in New York.

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