Mohsen Mahdawi, the graduating philosophy major at Columbia University who was taken into custody by hooded and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during his appointment for a US citizenship application interview, has been ordered freed by a federal judge, several news outlets have reported.

(Photo: Amanda Swinhart)

Mahdawi had been detained in a prison in Vermont.

He was released today.

According to New York Magazine:

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford wrote that Mahdawi’s release was in the public interest and that he poses no risk to the community and isn’t a flight risk. As conditioned by his release, Mahdawi will have to continue to reside in Vermont and attend all court hearings in person and can travel to New York for “educational purposes” or to meet with his legal team.

“Legal residents — not charged with crimes or misconduct — are being arrested and threatened with deportation for stating their views on the political issues of the day,” Crawford said. “Our nation has seen times like this before, especially during the Red Scare and Palmer Raids of 1919–1920 that lead to the deportation of hundreds of people suspected of anarchist or communist views.”

Politico reports:

“I am saying it clear and loud,” Mahdawi said outside a federal courthouse shortly after U.S. District Judge William Sessions III ordered his release. “To President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you.”

Backstory here.