BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday ordered the release of a Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.

A Vermont judge ordered the release of Columbia student and activist Mohsen Mahdawi from federal detention, where he was held after a naturalization interview turned into an ICE arrest.

The judge in Vermont ordered the government to release Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia University detained earlier this month.