VICTORY: Mohsen Mahdawi has been released on bail!

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) welcome a federal judge’s order for the immediate release of Mohsen Mahdawi on bail and are heartened that he is no longer unjustly detained. We call on the Trump administration to respect and abide by the rule of law and to refrain from attempting to circumvent or evade the judge's ruling. This outcome is, first and foremost, the result of relentless community pressure—amplified by the advocacy of elected officials like Representative Becca Balint and Senator Bernie Sanders, who refused to stay silent while others in power continue to look the other way. Their voices mattered, and this moment is proof that when everyone speaks out, we can interrupt even the most abusive actions of this administration.

Mohsen should never have been detained to begin with. Nor should Mahmoud Khalil, Badar Khan Suri, Rumeysa Ozturk, or the many others who are being targeted for nothing more than expressing their constitutionally protected political beliefs. The Trump administration is pursuing a dangerous and unlawful campaign of revoking visas, disappearing students, and attempting to deport individuals based solely on their pro-Palestine views. These actions are not only morally reprehensible but also illegal.

A federal court has even affirmed what we’ve all known: the First Amendment bars the government from arresting or deporting foreign students for pro-Palestinian advocacy. This ruling makes clear that political expression, especially in defense of human rights and against state violence, is not a crime.

We call on the judiciary system to double down on asserting its role as a check on executive overreach and to intervene where constitutional rights are under siege. And we demand that the administration end its unlawful and politically motivated campaign of silencing dissent. No one should fear arrest, deportation, or state retaliation for standing with Palestinian human rights and against Israel’s U.S.-fueled genocide.

This is not over. We celebrate Mohsen’s release, but we continue the fight—for every student, every organizer, and every advocate who refuses to be silenced.