Mohsen Mahdawi: podcast appearances and interviews

Mohsen Mahdawi is a Palestinian activist and student at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is enrolled in Columbia’s School of General Studies and has been active in leading pro-Palestinian campus protests. In 2024, Mahdawi initiated a reconciliation outreach program involving critics of the pro-Palestinian movement, working collaboratively with Jewish groups. His activism has drawn attention from U.S. authorities, and he was among a group of student activists targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. In April 2025, he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Colchester, Vermont, where he was attending an interview for U.S. citizenship. Following his detention, Mahdawi obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent his transfer out of Vermont and was later granted probationary release from detention.