A student activist and green card holder in Columbia was detained last month when he went to a citizenship interview, saying President Trump "will not keep me silent" in an interview with Vermont's CBS News on Monday.

Mohsen Mahdawi's comment marks his first online interview since The judge ordered his release last week - Mahdawi's move called "Light of Hope" to other detained student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil in Colombia and Rumeysa Ozturk in Tufts University

Shortly after Mahdawi's release, he addressed a group of supporters, saying Mr. Trump and his cabinet: "I'm not afraid of you." Mahdawi told CBS News that he spoke directly to Mr. Trump because "there is this philosophy of intimidation, a philosophy of punitive justice... so I want to share with them that you can do whatever you want. You won't silence me."

"I am a peacemaker. When they arrested me, it was a dangerous flag for everyone," Mahadawi added.

Mahdawi was detained for about two weeks. He told CBS News that he appointed citizenship in Vermont in mid-April, conducted a citizenship test and signed a document saying he was willing to vow allegiance to the Constitution. At the end of the process, he said the Immigration Agents entered the office, Detained him. Mahadawi said he didn't know why they waited, rather than putting him in custody once he arrived.

"I know it's a betrayal of the constitution and process of this country," Mahadawi said. "I did it all the right way.

Mahdawi, who has helped lead protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Colombia since 2023, was detained under rarely used laws that enable the government to revoke visas for the people of the country, and the country minister believes that it may constitute "adverse foreign policy consequences."

Mahadawi said he found "ridiculous" reasons for the Trump administration's detention.

"Is a person who advocates justice and peace undermining U.S. policy?" he told CBS News on Monday.

Mahdawi is one of several student activists facing detention. Colombian activist Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk collaborated on campus newspapers where he co-authored the Pro-Palestinian experts. Same legal reasons Alleging risks of “adverse foreign policy consequences”. Both students are suing their release separately.

A letter calling on Mahadawi to be deported and signed by Rubio reads: "In these protests, Mahadawi has identified the rhetoric and intimidation that threatened Israeli bystanders. However, in a video from November 2023, CBS News received a man of revelry, which led you to comment on the crowd. In an interview last month, "We made it very clear that our movement is related to justice and that anti-Semitism has no place in our movement." ”

The Trump administration defends the cancellation of visas. In a statement last month, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricial McLaughlin said Green card and visa It is a "privileged".

McLaughlin added: “When you advocate violence, glory and support for terrorists who enjoy killing Americans and harassing Jews, that privilege should be revoked and you should not be in this country.”

Mahdawi denied the allegations of anti-Semitism and said he took a step back from the protests, and then protesters set up camps on the Columbia campus and occupied a school building, which attracted national attention and criticism.

he Prosecuted in federal court Hours after he was detained, his lawyer argued that the move violated his First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford orders Released from federal custody last Wednesdaywrote that Mahdawi “made the significant claim that his detention was the result of revenge on protected speech”.

The case remains open as Crawford reviews Mahdawi's petition for habeas protection.

The Court of Appeal will examine the cases of Mahdawi and Ozturk on Tuesday.

Mahadawi said that after he left custody, he “with my core, it will prevail…the justice system is operating.”

He also said he planned to continue protesting. "I wasn't afraid when they detained me. I wasn't afraid when I was detained. And I wasn't afraid to share my voice," he said.