Mohsen Mahdawi is appealing a ruling that would allow him to be deported from the United States, keeping the Columbia graduate student in Vermont as his immigration fight continues. The challenge centers on a decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals, which advocates say does not take effect while the appeal is still pending.
That fight has shadowed Mahdawi since ICE detained him in April 2025 and set off a battle over whether he could be removed from the country. He lives in Vermont on a green card and has been at the center of a case that drew national attention after the Trump administration moved to deport him over his role in on-campus pro-Palestinian protests.
The appeal matters now because the ruling he is contesting would open the door to removal from the U.S., a consequence Mahdawi is trying to block before it can be carried out. The ACLU says he is challenging the Board of Immigration Appeals ruling, while advocates argue he is protected from deportation while those appeals continue.
That legal split leaves the case in a fragile place. On one side is the government’s effort to push ahead with deportation. On the other is the argument that Mahdawi cannot be removed while the appeal process is still moving, even as the exact next step from the board has not been publicly stated.
For now, Mahdawi remains in Vermont as the appeal works its way through the system, with the outcome likely to decide whether his immigration battle ends with him staying in the U.S. or facing removal after more than a year of litigation.
