A second Columbia University student who participated in campus protests against the war in Gaza has been arrested and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his attorneys say.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian green-card holder who is set to graduate from Columbia in May, was taken into ICE custody during a naturalization interview in Vermont on Monday, a court filing provided to NY1 by his lawyers says.

Federal immigration authorities had previously arrested Mahmoud Khalil, another lawful permanent resident and Columbia student who participated in last year’s protests, a little over a month ago.

The court filing — which seeks Mahdawi’s “immediate release” — says he and Khalil co-founded Columbia’s Palestinian Student Union in the fall of 2023. 

Khalil is currently being held in Louisiana as his lawyers fight to keep the Trump administration from deporting him. 

A federal judge in Vermont on Monday issued an order barring the government from moving Mahdawi out of Vermont or the U.S. pending further review of the case. 

“Prior to and following Mr. Mahdawi’s detention, the government has made clear that it intends to retaliate and punish individuals such as Mr. Mahdawi who advocated for ceasefire and ending the bloodshed in Gaza,” the filing says. “[The government’s] actions plainly violate the First Amendment, which protects Mr. Mahdawi’s right to speak on matters of public concern and prevents the government from chilling constitutionally-protected speech.”

Before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Mahdawi “advocated for a peaceful resolution between Israelis and Palestinians in different forms such as public speeches, community engagement, and storytelling initiatives,” the filing says.

After the attack, Mahdawi “attended protests opposing military escalations in the region and advocating for Palestinian human rights and a peaceful political solution,” it goes on to say, adding that he gave speeches advocating for “Palestinian human rights, a permanent ceasefire, and a peaceful resolution that affirmed the human dignity of all.”

“During one protest, Mr. Mahdawi vocally denounced an unaffiliated passerby who made an antisemitic comment, chanting ‘shame on him.’ Mr. Mahdawi stated that ‘we are against antisemitism because antisemitism is a form of injustice, and injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” the filing adds, noting that the Columbia Spectator — the school’s student newspaper — reported on the incident.

Mahdawi, who was born and raised in a West Bank refugee camp, became a legal permanent U.S. resident in 2015, transferring from Lehigh University to Columbia in 2021 to study philosophy, according to the filing.

He completed his program last year and is expected to graduate next month, with plans to start a master’s program at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs this coming fall, the filing says.

In the filing, Mahdawi’s attorneys claim he was detained “to punish and silence him because of his constitutionally protected speech, beliefs, statements, or associations,” citing public statements made by officials including President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Mr. Mahdawi is fearful that, if he loses his lawful permanent resident status and he is removed to the West Bank, he will experience the same harassment, detention and torture that his family has experienced, and would be in even more danger in light of the campaigns that have targeted and spread lies about him,” the filing says.

His friend, Chris Helali, took the video seen of Mahdawi’s arrest.

“We knew that this was a possibility of him basically being abducted, you know, ambushed, as he was there and that’s exactly what happened," Helali said.

He says they prepared for this scenario.

Helali and other friends were at the immigration office to support Mahdawi as he was attending a naturalization interview.

“He’s a very strong man, he’s a very strong young man, and he basically said, ‘I’ll see you. I’ll see you soon,’” Helali said.

A spokesperson for Columbia declined to comment on Mahdawi’s alleged arrest Monday, citing the university’s obligations to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student education records.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.