{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=500", "Rep. Becca Balint Leads 67 House Colleagues in Demanding Answers on Mohsen Mahdawi\u2019s Arrest", "2025-04-16", "2025", "2025-04", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Becca Balint", "B001318", "balint.house.gov", "balint", "https://balint.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State secretaries to demand answers on the illegal abduction and arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi. On Monday, April 14th, masked, hooded men in plain clothes removed Mr. Mahdawi, who was then handcuffed and taken into an unmarked van from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Colchester, Vermont. Rep. Balint is joined by 67 colleagues in demanding answers on Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s arrest and for his immediate release.\n\nMr. Mahdawi is the latest student the Trump administration has targeted involved in pro-Palestinian organizing on U.S. college campuses. Mr. Mahdawi has not been accused of a crime. According to his lawyers, the Trump administration appears to be seeking his removal from the country under the same legal provision that it is using to detain Mr. Mahmoud Khalil, who was removed from his apartment building for his participation in pro-Palestinian groups at Columbia University, earlier this year.\n\nMembers are demanding answers from Secretary Rubio if this arrest was made under his own personal determination that Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s speech compromises a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest and on what grounds. If that is the case, Members demand to know if the secretary intends to provide certification to the relevant Congressional committees. Members and many constituents are deeply disturbed that DHS could be hijacking citizenship interviews to engage in immigration enforcement activity.\n\n\u201cAmericans may disagree on immigration policy, but we have always agreed that the Constitution guarantees people within our borders the most basic of rights including due process and free speech. This administration has ignored those fundamental rights in its horrific imprisonment of Mohsen K. Mahdawi,\u201d members wrote to DHS and the State Department. \u201cIf Mr. Mahdawi can be tricked into coming to a government office and then arrested for simply making statements that the Trump Administration does not agree with, every American is at risk. We write to express our profound outrage with this Administration\u2019s continued disappearance of lawful residents of the United States and to demand questions about Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s case.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s right as a legal resident of the United States to argue for what he believes in. This most fundamental of American rights is crucial to the fabric of our country, and one that America was built upon. In fact, President Trump stated at his joint address to Congress in March, \u2018I\u2019ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America.\u2019 If the President was serious about protecting free speech in the United States, he would protect it for everyone, including those with whom he disagrees. Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s arrest is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. With Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s abduction, the Trump Administration continues to degrade America\u2019s image on the global stage and descend the country further and further into authoritarianism. We profoundly oppose unlawful abductions and expect a prompt response to our questions,\u201d continued the members.\n\n\u201cWithout due process and the right to free speech, this is not the America we thought we lived in. And it should terrify us all. It\u2019s critical we stand up loudly for the US Constitution in the face of the authoritarian rule from the White House. I\u2019m proud to lead over 60 Democrats in the fight for Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s rights and the basic liberties enshrined into our constitution. Vermonters and Americans everywhere are horrified to learn of these growing illegal arrests and we will not stand by idly,\u201d said Rep. Balint.\n\n67 House Democrats signed the letter including Reps. Amo, Ansari, Barrag\u00e1n, Beyer, Bonamici, Carson, Carter, Casar, Casten, Castro, Chu, Cleaver, Cohen, Correa, Davis (IL), Dean, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Escobar, Evans, Frost, Garc\u00eda (IL), Garcia (CA), Garcia (TX) Goodlander, Green (TX), Hoyle, Huffman, Jackson (IL), Jayapal, Johnson (GA), Kamlager-Dove, Keating, Larson, Lee (PA), McBride, McClellan, McCollum, McGovern, McIver, Moore, Moulton, Mullin, Nadler, Norton, Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pingree, Pocan, Pressley, Quigley, Ramirez, S\u00e1nchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Simon, Thompson (MS), Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Trahan, Vel\u00e1zquez, Waters, Watson Coleman, Williams (GA)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:33:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=500"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5420420095324516, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}