As the Trump administration ramps up its attacks on international students and Palestinian activists, Jewish New Yorkers are calling for the release of detained Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested in Vermont when he appeared for what he was told would be a naturalization test. Mahdawi had previously expressed fears that the appointment, which came earlier than usual in the typical naturalization process, could end up being a trap. “These deportations do not keep anyone safe,” says Josh Drill, an Israeli American master’s student at Columbia University. “They endanger us because they separate Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers who are trying to change the reality.”
