US justifies Palestinian student's arrest by citing Gaza 'peace process'

Pro-Palestinian activism could undermine the Middle East peace process and threaten the goal of “peacefully” ending the war on Gaza, the Trump administration has said while justifying the deportation of a Palestinian student previously involved in protests at Columbia University.

A memo, obtained by The New York Times from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the US is seeking to deport Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi because his “activities could ‘potentially undermine’ the Middle East peace process”.

The memo said that Mahdawi’s pro-Palestine protests could undermine peace by "reinforcing antisemitic sentiment" in the region and worldwide.

The memo claims that this threatens the US foreign policy goal of "peacefully ending the war on Gaza", despite the US having given Israel the green light to resume its war on the enclave, as well as approving $3 billion in arms sales.

Mahdawi's lawyer Luna Droubi told The New York Times the assertions were “baseless claims made with no evidence”.

Mahdawi, who has held a green card since 2025, was detained by ICE on Monday at an immigration office in Vermont, where he was meant to be interviewed about finalising his US citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security agents relied on Rubio’s memo to justify the arrest.

Mahdawi became a prominent leader of pro-Palestine activism within Columbia University, having co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, the first pro-Palestinian student to be detained over his activism.

The activist was also a leader of a walkout in November. He previously gaveand his 60 Minutes interview on CBC in December, on his fight for a free Palestine and against antisemitism, has begun recirculating online.

The detention of Mahdawi comes as the Trump government are continuing to detain and deport international students over their outspoken support for Palestine, with Rubio claiming to have revoked over 600 visas.

The administration signed a series of executive orders aimed at deporting foreign nationals deemed to have “hostile attitudes” and tackling what Trump calls “antisemitism”.

An immigration judge ruled grounds for Khalil’s deportation based on Rubio’s memo alone, accusing the activist of antisemitism through his pro-Palestine student protests.