17 years a student: Foreigner may finally leave the country | The College Fix
OPINION: Mohsen Madawi is a perpetual learner who needs to go.
After 11 years of being a student in America, on top of another six in Israel, Mohsen Madawi may finally be heading home.
Madawi is one of a number of pro-Palestinian activists who are seemingly always in school despite being in their 30s or older.
The Trump administration is seeking to deport Madawi on the grounds his anti-Israel activism undermines American foreign policy. The ACLU is challenging the deportation on First Amendment grounds. An immigration judge okayed his deportation, but a separate federal case is pending, meaning he remains in the country for now.
Regardless of the potential free-speech issues at play, Madawi should be leaving the country because he has clearly abused the visa system.
Madawi first began school in 2008, studying computer engineering at Birzeit University (it took him six years to graduate).
“In 2015, he became a lawful permanent resident of the United States,” according to a court filing.
For the last decade, he has managed to stay in school, beginning with two years at Lehigh University studying computer science, followed by a transfer to Columbia University to study philosophy. Conveniently, he is set to finish a master’s degree in international affairs by 2027.
At this point, he will presumably find something else to study so he can be a perpetual “student” protesting Israel.
His tale is the exact type of story that turns people against immigration.
A foreigner comes here after living in a refugee camp and establishes permanent residency. Instead of going out and finding a productive job, he turns into a lifetime learner, always enrolling in classes and yet having plenty of time to engage in protests and rallies against Israel.
In a just world, the State Department would not need to find a statute that allows for deportation on national security grounds. Rather, they could determine that someone who is pushing 40 years old and still hanging out on college campuses has not contributed to the wellbeing of the country and is not likely to do so.
They could buy him a plane ticket out of the country and allow him to find some other place to bum around in for the next 20 to 30 years.
Our immigration system should serve the benefits of American citizens, not every foreigner who wants a place to hang out in and protest in for life.