US Judge Thwarts Trump's Plan to Deport Palestinian Student

An immigration judge in the United States has decided to terminate deportation proceedings against a Palestinian student, thwarting the Trump administration’s efforts to deport him.

Palestinian student and activist Mohsen Mahdawi, who led pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University and had lived in the US for more than a decade, was arrested by agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last April whilst attending a citizenship interview. He spent 16 days in ICE custody.

Mahdawi was released on bail on 30 April after filing a habeas corpus petition in the US District Court for the District of Vermont. He maintained that he had been unlawfully detained as retaliation for exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech.

Mahdawi’s lawyers informed the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, that deportation proceedings against him had been terminated. The development marks a significant milestone in a case that sparked concerns about due process and the protection of freedom of expression.

According to documents filed with the court, the immigration judge ended the proceedings after the government failed to authenticate a memorandum allegedly originating from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The document, which accused Mahdawi of threatening foreign policy interests, had served as the basis for his detention in 2025 and the subsequent deportation case against him.

“I am grateful to the court for upholding the rule of law and acting against the government’s attempts to trample on due process,” Mahdawi said.

“This decision is an important step in defending what fear seeks to destroy: the right to speak out for peace and justice,” he added.

Brett Max Kaufman, senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Democracy Centre, said the outcome reaffirmed the importance of judicial oversight in immigration cases.