Vermont Sen. Peter Welch (D) met with Columbia University activist Mohsen Mahdawi in a Vermont prison on Monday, where the Palestinian student pleaded for peace and urged those advocating for his release to continue fighting for democracy.

In a social media post, Welch posted a video of him meeting with Mahdawi, who is being imprisoned in the Northwest State Correctional Facility, the senator’s office said. Mahdawi was arrested last Monday, when immigration agents called him in for what was supposed to be his last test to gain U.S. citizenship; officials instead seemingly used the appointment as a trap in order to abduct him.

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

Mahdawi said that a crucial idea taught to immigrants seeking to be naturalized is that freedom of speech and other protections under the First Amendment are supposed to be among the most important principles undergirding the U.S. — principles now being rapidly eroded as the Trump administration abducts and detains people like Mahdawi and fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil simply for speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Mahdawi hinted at this contradiction when Welch asked him to........

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