Mohsen Mahdawi’s Abduction “Should Terrify” Us, Says VT Rep. Balint, Whose Grandfather Was Killed in Holocaust

The Trump administration is now seeking to deport Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who is being held in a prison in northwest Vermont. He was detained by Homeland Security agents when he went to an immigration services center to take a civics test that is the final step in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen. Mahdawi moved to Vermont from the West Bank in 2014 and has been a legal permanent resident, or green card holder, since 2015. All three members of Vermont’s congressional delegation are calling for Mahdawi’s release, including Congressmember Becca Balint. “This should terrify every single person living in this country, regardless of your citizenship status,” says Balint. “This is Trump creating his own army of brownshirts right here in our country.”

Democracy Now!
#europe should introduce a free #greencard for students, scientists, specialists et al. from the united states
“A #Palestinian man who led protests against the war in #Gaza as a student at #Columbia U… was arrested [by #ICE] Monday at a Vermont immigration office where he expected to be interviewed about finalizing his US citizenship… #MohsenMahdawi…has held a #greencard since 2015… his lawyers said…they do not know where he is & have filed a petition in federal court seeking an order barring the gov’t from removing him from the state or country.“ | CBC https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mohsen-mahdawi-arrested-1.7510325 #EnforcedDisappearance
Palestinian activist arrested by ICE while expecting U.S. citizenship interview

CBC Lite

I wonder how the Musilms from Wisconsin who voted for Trump feel now.

"United States: Palestinian student activist arrested during naturalization process"

#trump #ice #deportations #arrest #greencard #visa #palestine

https://www.bfmtv.com/international/amerique-nord/etats-unis/etats-unis-un-militant-etudiant-palestinien-arrete-pendant-son-processus-de-naturalisation_AD-202504150234.html

États-Unis: un militant étudiant palestinien arrêté pendant son processus de naturalisation

Un participant à la mobilisation étudiante pour les Palestiniens aux États-Unis a été arrêté par des agents de l'immigration dans un bureau où il passait un entretien de naturalisation.

BFMTV
“I had thought Vermont was a safe place. And what I learned today is Vermont is not safe,” White said. “That there is no place that is safe. Because they came in unmarked vehicles and abducted my friend.”
#GreenCard #abduction #disappearance
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-04-14/upper-valley-resident-detained-at-citizenship-interview-in-colchester
Upper Valley resident detained at citizenship interview in Colchester

Friends of White River Junction resident Mohsen Mahdawi say he was called in for a citizenship interview Monday and left in handcuffs.

Vermont Public

The #Trump admin has detained #ColumbiaUniversity student & #GreenCard holder #MohsenMahdawi a #Buddhist #Palestinian committed to #nonviolence because he advocated on behalf of Palestinian #HumanRights.

Mahdawi became a focus of attacks from a member of #Congress & #Zionist groups like Canary Mission & Betar. Guess we know where the deportation lists are coming from.

#law #immigration #Constitution #FreeSpeech
https://theintercept.com/2025/04/14/ice-columbia-student-mohsen-mahdawi-citizenship-interview/

Palestinian Student Leader Was Called In for Citizenship Interview — Then Arrested by ICE

Palestinian Columbia student leader Mohsen Mahdawi was called in for a citizenship interview. Instead, ICE arrested him for deportation.

The Intercept

Team Trump Is Gaming Out How to Ship #USCitizens to #ElSalvador

Trump officials are talking internally about #denaturalizing #AmericanCitizens — and potentially sending some to #ElSalvador

By Nikki McCann Ramirez, Asawin Suebsaeng, Andrew Perez - April 12, 2025

"Donald #Trump and his White House have moved to deport #GreenCard holders for espousing #ProPalestinian views, shipped hundreds of #migrants to a notorious #Salvadoran #MegaPrison without due process (in defiance of a judge’s order), and are now publicly musing about sending United States citizens to prison in El Salvador.

"Trump said last weekend he would 'love' to send American criminals there — and would even be 'honored' to, depending on 'what the law says.' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed this week that the president has discussed this idea privately, too, adding he would only do this 'if it’s legal.'

"El Salvador’s president, #Nayi Bukele, has for months been offering to hold U.S. citizens in his country’s prison system, which he has turned into 'a judicial black hole' rife with 'systematic #torture,' as one #HumanRights advocate recently told Rolling Stone.

"Legal experts agree that sending American citizens to prison in El Salvador would be flagrantly illegal under both U.S. and international law — and that the idea itself is shockingly #authoritarian, with few parallels in our nation’s history.

"The Trump administration is indeed discussing this idea behind the scenes, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Rolling Stone. In their most serious form, these conversations have revolved around attempting to denaturalize American citizens and deport them to other countries, including El Salvador.

" 'You can’t deport U.S. citizens. There’s no emergency exception, there’s no special wartime authority, there’s no secret clause. You just can’t deport citizens,' says Steve Vladeck, a legal commentator and law professor at Georgetown.

" 'Whatever grounds they try to come up with for denaturalization or #expatriation, the one thing that is absolutely undeniable is that people are entitled to individualized processes, before that process can be effectuated.'

"In the United States, the grounds to strip a naturalized individual of their citizenship encompass serious material offenses. They include: committing #treason or #terrorism, enlisting in a foreign military engaged in opposition to the United States, or lying in applications for citizenship or as part of the naturalization process."

Read more:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-el-salvador-us-citizens-denaturalization-1235315975/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/xliRd

#Orwellian #Authorianism #Fascism #ICEDetention #Deportations #USPol #SilencingDissent #MemoryHoled #Disappeared

Team Trump Is Gaming Out How to Ship U.S. Citizens to El Salvador

Donald Trump’s administration is talking internally about denaturalizing American citizens — and potentially sending some to El Salvador.

Rolling Stone
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