Sen. Welch Calls for Release of Palestinian Student Held by ICE

(MENAFN) U.S. Senator Peter Welch has called for the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student formerly at Columbia University, who was arrested last week while attending a citizenship interview.

"I just met with Mohsen Mahdawi where he’s being held in Vermont. He was detained when he showed up for his citizenship interview.

"He should be released so he can become a citizen," Welch stated Monday in a post he shared on X.

Mahdawi, who holds legal permanent residency and was involved in organizing student protests at Columbia, was taken into custody at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Vermont.

Welch posted a video of their conversation, in which Mahdawi said he remains "positive" by holding onto his belief in justice and the core values of democracy.

"This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country," Mahdawi remarked, emphasizing that the U.S. was founded on ideals such as freedom of speech and religion.

He also pushed back against previous comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who asserted that Mahdawi’s activism “could undermine the Middle East peace process by reinforcing antisemitic sentiment."

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