Pro-Palestinian students detained by immigration authorities saw their biggest win to date this week with the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, though both his case and the fight at large have a long way to go.

While the ruling is not the kind of slam dunk that would make advocates feel safer about the state of free speech on college campuses, it is the first major breakthrough in the courts for international students who have been besieged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under President Trump.

“While this decision is a positive development, and we certainly hope there are more decisions like it coming down the road, I do think it would be overly ambitious to say that this provides a layer of protection” for students, said Conor Fitzpatrick, supervising senior attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Mahdawi, a green card holder and 10-year U.S. resident, was released on bail Wednesday after he was arrested April 14 during what was supposed to naturalization interview by plain clothes officers, with video of the incident quickly went viral.

The judge in the Columbia University student's case cited First Amendment concerns in his ruling.

“His continued detention would likely have a chilling effect on protected speech, which is........

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