(NEW YORK) -- Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested by immigration authorities Monday, was taking the last step in the process for him to become a U.S. citizen, his attorney told ABC News.
Mahdawi, a permanent United States resident, was arrested during his naturalization interview and detained in Vermont, Luna Droubi, one of his attorneys, told ABC News.
"It was the last stage, the last hurdle for him," Droubi said. "What he wanted was to become a US citizen, and attended this naturalization with that hope."
U.S. District Judge William Sessions subsequently granted Mahdawi's attorneys a temporary restraining order barring the government from moving Mahdawi out of District of Vermont "pending further order" from the court.
Mahdawi, who founded a university organization called Palestinian Student Union with Mahmoud Khalil, was an activist in student protests on Columbia's campus until March 2024, according to a habeas petition obtained by ABC News.
"He advocated on behalf of his people," Droubi said. "He had moments where he spoke out and that is the extent of his participation."
Droubi said Mahdawi was detained "solely on his first amendment rights."
"He's being detained based solely on his first amendment rights -- his speech," Droubi told ABC News. "That's a violation of the law, that's a violation of the Constitution, and he should be released immediately as a result of the detention."
Droubi said "there was a smear campaign against Mahdawi" on social media.
"They were all non-governmental actors," Droubi said. "So the reality is the government has not provided any evidence to justify his detention by government agents."
Droubi said she has requested that Mahdawi be released on bail.
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred ABC News to the State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a court filing in Khalil's immigration case, DHS submitted a two-page memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserting that the law gives him the power to determine a person is deportable even if their actions are "otherwise lawful."
Rubio wrote that Khalil should be deported because of his alleged role in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities, which fosters a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States."
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.