The US Board of Immigration Appeals has reinstated deportation proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, according to court filings and statements from his legal team. Mahdawi, who holds permanent US residency (“green card”), was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement while attending an American citizenship interview in Vermont in mid-April 2025. He was released about two weeks later, but the deportation case remained active. Legal sources say the proceedings were re-ordered after an earlier setback for the Trump administration in February, when a US immigration judge rejected government efforts to deport him, citing issues including the lack of proper authentication of a document the government sought to rely on. The judge said the filing was relevant but not admissible because it was presented as an unauthenticated photocopy. Mahdawi’s lawyers and Mahdawi characterize the action as an attempt to use immigration enforcement to deter political activism and advocacy related to Palestinian rights. The reported background includes Mahdawi’s involvement in campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza and earlier legal disputes connected to his case.