Mohsen Mahdawi is a student at Columbia University who in April 2025 was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and threatened with deportation for his organizing against Israel’s war in Gaza.

07.26.2025

Mohsen Mahdawi

Mohsen Mahdawi on His ICE Detention and Justice in Palestine

In April, Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi was held in detention by ICE for over two weeks despite not being charged with a crime. He speaks to Jacobin about his early life, his incarceration, and why he’s actually optimistic about the prospects for peace.