4.7 • 8K Ratings
🗓️ 25 June 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
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In April, Palestinian student activist Mohsen Mahdawi walked into an immigration office to obtain US citizenship. He left in handcuffs. The Columbia University student was detained by ICE and accused by the Trump administration of jeopardizing US foreign policy through his involvement in protests following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. On this week’s More to The Story, Mohsen talks to host Al Letson about his arrest by ICE, his role in campus protests, and his childhood growing up in a West Bank refugee camp.
Producer: Josh Sanburn | Editor: Kara McGuirk-Allison | Theme music: Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs | Digital producer: Nikki Frick | Interim executive producers: Brett Myers and Taki Telonidis | Executive editor: James West | Host: Al Letson
Read: Mohsen Mahdawi Has Been Released From Federal Custody (Mother Jones)
Listen: Gaza: A War of Weapons and Words (Reveal)
Read: Mahmoud Khalil, Finally Free, Speaks Out (Mother Jones)
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0:00.0 | In April, after living in the U.S. for more than a decade, Columbia University student and |
0:07.4 | Palestinian activists Mosen Madawi walked into an immigration office. |
0:12.4 | He was there to become a U.S. citizen. |
0:15.1 | The agent was interviewing me, he said, would you be willing to take the pledge of allegiance to protect and defend |
0:24.3 | the constitution of this country? And they said, this is why I'm here. Because I believe in the |
0:29.5 | principles of this country. Of course, I will. And he asked me to sign a document. So I signed the document |
0:36.3 | and he said, just give me a few seconds. |
0:38.6 | He opened the back door and all of a sudden DHS agents stormed the office and they say |
0:46.0 | you're under arrest. |
0:48.4 | It wasn't that long ago that college students were being detained by ICE because of their |
0:52.9 | protests over the war in Gaza. |
0:55.5 | And today, despite objections from the federal government, some of those students have been |
1:00.1 | released on bail. One of them is Mosin Madawi. He's our guest this week on more to the story. Stay with us. |
1:12.1 | How can people lead good lives without ultimately hastening global collapse? |
1:17.3 | The answer lies in fairness. |
1:20.9 | While billionaires fly into space and build remote bunkers, it's clear we cannot fight |
1:26.8 | the climate crisis without addressing |
1:29.0 | the gap between the rich and poor. In Just Earth, leading environmentalist Tony Juniper |
1:36.2 | proves that inequality isn't just about who suffers the consequences. It is the main obstacle |
1:43.6 | blocking action, and it has been for decades. |
1:47.7 | Just Earth is available now from Bloomsbury Continuum, wherever books are sold. |
1:56.6 | Right now we are living through some of the most tumultuous political times our country has ever known. |
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