Palestinian student remains detained in Vermont with a hearing set for next week

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A large crowd of supporters and advocates gathered outside a Vermont courthouse Wednesday to support a Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was arrested during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident for 10 years, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on April 14. He made an initial court appearance Wednesday during which a judge extended a temporary order keeping Mahdawi in Vermont and scheduled a hearing for next week.

Mahdawi’s lawyers say he was detained in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights.

“What the government provided thus far only establishes that the only basis they have to currently detaining him in the manner they did is his lawful speech,” attorney Luna Droubi said after the hearing. “We intend on being back in one week's time to free Mohsen."

In court documents, the government argues that Mahdawi's detention is a “constitutionally valid aspect of the deportation process” and that district courts are barred from hearing challenges to how and when such proceedings are begun.

“District courts play no role in that process. Consequently, this Court lacks jurisdiction over Petitioner’s claims, which are all, at bottom, challenges to removal proceedings,” wrote Michael Drescher, Vermont’s acting U.S. attorney.

According to his lawyers, Mahdawi had answered questions and signed a document that he was willing to defend the U.S. Constitution and laws of the nation. They said masked ICE agents then entered the interview room, shackled Mahdawi, and put him in a car.

“What we’re seeing here is unprecedented where they are so hellbent on detaining students from good universities in our country,” attorney Cyrus Mehta said. “These are not hardened criminals. These are people who have not been charged with any crime, they have also not been charged under any of the other deportation provisions of the Immigration Act.”

Mahdawi is still scheduled for a hearing date in immigration court in Louisiana on May 1, his attorneys said. His notice to appear says he is removable under the Immigration and Nationality Act because the Secretary of State has determined his presence and activities "would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.”

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’s war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges.

According to the court filing, Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the United States in 2014. He recently completed coursework at Columbia and was expected to graduate in May before beginning a master’s degree program there in the fall.

As a student, Mahdawi was an outspoken critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and organized campus protests until March 2024.

U.S. Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, a Democrat, met with Mahdaw i on Monday at the prison and posted a video account of their conversation on X. Mahdawi said he was “in good hands." He said his work is centered on peacemaking and that his empathy extends beyond the Palestinian people to Jews and to the Israelis.

“I’m staying positive by reassuring myself in the ability of justice and the deep belief of democracy,” Mahdawi said in Welch’s video. “This is the reason I wanted to become a citizen of this country, because I believe in the principles of this country.”

Mahdawi's attorney read a statement from him outside the courthouse Wednesday in which he urged supporters to “stay positive and believe in the inevitability of justice.”

“This hearing is part of the system of democracy, it prevents a tyrant from having unchecked power,” he wrote. “I am in prison, but I am not imprisoned.”

Meanwhile, the government is appealing a decision by a different Vermont judge who said another detained student, Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, should be returned to Vermont.

On Tuesday, members of Congress from Massachusetts traveled to Louisiana to meet with Ozturk and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern expressed concern at a news conference Wednesday that the students, as well as other detainees, were being deprived of nutritious meals, sleep and blankets in the cold facilities.

Khalil and Ozturk have not committed any crimes, the delegation said -- they are being unlawfully detained for exercising their right to free speech.

“They are being targeted and imprisoned because of their political views,” McGovern said.

Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Mohsen Mahdawi, left, and Mahmoud Khalil participate in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Protesters gather outside federal court ahead of a hearing for Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian man arrested at a Vermont immigration office during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship and a legal permanent resident who led protests against the war in Gaza at Columbia University, Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Burlington, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of homes and businesses across northern France and southern England were without power Friday morning and residents faced widespread travel delays after a storm swept in off the Atlantic, bringing high winds, rain and snow to the region.

The low-pressure system, named Storm Goretti, pummeled the Isles of Scilly overnight with wind gusts up to 99 mph (159 kph) recorded in the archipelago off the southwestern tip of England. Local government officials reported blocked roads, unstable buildings and power outages that left some people without water.

More than 57,000 were without power across southwestern England, the Midlands and Wales, according to National Grid, which runs the country’s electricity transmission network.

As the storm moved across the United Kingdom it collided with an existing mass of Arctic air, bringing snow to northern areas and heavy rain to the south.

That extended the misery in northern Scotland, where snowplows have been working overtime to keep roads open after more than half a meter (20 inches) of snow fell earlier in the week. More than 250 schools across Scotland were closed on Friday, with some remaining shut for a fifth straight day.

National Rail warned people across the U.K. to check before traveling because the storm had disrupted services across England, Scotland and Wales. Birmingham Airport, which closed briefly due to snow, said had reopened with “reduced runway operations.”

The disruptions came after the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, issued a rare red weather warning — its highest — in southwestern England for Thursday evening.

Red warnings are issued when the forecaster considers it “very likely” there will be life-threatening conditions.

Strong winds from Storm Goretti also battered northwestern France on Friday, knocking out power to about 380,000 homes, authorities said. No major damage was reported Friday morning.

Most of the outages were concentrated in the Normandy region, according to Enedis, the national power grid operator.

France’s national weather service, Météo-France, had issued weather warnings ahead of the storm, urging residents to remain home. An overnight wind gust of up to 213 kph (132 mph) was recorded in Gatteville-le-Phare in Normandy.

Regional train services were suspended across northwestern France, with disruptions expected to last at least until Friday afternoon. High-speed rail services were operating, and authorities said they anticipated minimal impact on flights at Paris airports.

People cross the medieval Charles Bridge during a heavy snowfall in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A man clears snow from a walking path during a heavy snowfall in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Vehicles covered in snow are parked in Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, as Storm Goretti continues in the UK. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)