Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi called his recent release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention a “victory for democracy.”

Mahdawi recounted the day he was detained by federal immigration authorities in mid-April while he was at a naturalization interview to become a U.S. citizen.

“The Department of Homeland Security’s plan did not go smoothly, as we missed the flight to Louisiana by minutes," he wrote in an op-ed published by The New York Times on Friday. "Those few minutes changed the course of my legal case and, ultimately, led to my freedom from detention because I was able to fight for my rights on fair ground."

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