An immigration judge has terminated Mohsen Mahdawi's removal proceedings following his detention last year. Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist who lives in Vermont and attends Columbia University, was detained outside of a federal office in Colchester in April. Mahdawi was part of the highly-publicized Columbia University student protests in 2024 against the war in Gaza.He was held for more than two weeks and ordered released on bail on April 30. Prior to his arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memorandum stating that despite Mahdawi's status as a lawful permanent resident, he was deemed a "deportable alien" because "the alien's presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest."In the filing on Tuesday, The American Civil Liberties Union said that Mahdawi's attorneys filed a letter with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announcing that a judge terminated those removal proceedings. The ACLU went on to say that the judge based his decision on "the government’s failure to authenticate a memorandum purportedly from Marco Rubio."The ACLU said "This document, which was filed without including referenced attachments, served as the basis for seeking to deport Mr. Mahdawi, and declared Mr. Mahdawi a threat to U.S. foreign policy based solely on his protected speech."The ruling was issued without prejudice, meaning the government could appeal the decision or attempt to refile a new case.Mahdawi issued a statement following the decision, saying he was grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law."This decision is an important step towards upholding what fear tried to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice," he said in part. "In a climate where dissent is increasingly met with intimidation and detention, today’s ruling renews hope that due process still applies and that no agency stands above the Constitution." NEW YORK —An immigration judge has terminated Mohsen Mahdawi's removal proceedings following his detention last year. Mahdawi, a Palestinian student activist who lives in Vermont and attends Columbia University, was detained outside of a federal office in Colchester in April. Mahdawi was part of the highly-publicized Columbia University student protests in 2024 against the war in Gaza. He was held for more than two weeks and ordered released on bail on April 30. Prior to his arrest, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memorandum stating that despite Mahdawi's status as a lawful permanent resident, he was deemed a "deportable alien" because "the alien's presence or activities would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest."In the filing on Tuesday, The American Civil Liberties Union said that Mahdawi's attorneys filed a letter with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit announcing that a judge terminated those removal proceedings. The ACLU went on to say that the judge based his decision on "the government’s failure to authenticate a memorandum purportedly from Marco Rubio." The ACLU said "This document, which was filed without including referenced attachments, served as the basis for seeking to deport Mr. Mahdawi, and declared Mr. Mahdawi a threat to U.S. foreign policy based solely on his protected speech."The ruling was issued without prejudice, meaning the government could appeal the decision or attempt to refile a new case.Mahdawi issued a statement following the decision, saying he was grateful to the court for honoring the rule of law."This decision is an important step towards upholding what fear tried to destroy: the right to speak for peace and justice," he said in part. "In a climate where dissent is increasingly met with intimidation and detention, today’s ruling renews hope that due process still applies and that no agency stands above the Constitution."