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鈥淚t鈥檚 very mixed emotions,鈥� Mahdawi told The Associated Press. 鈥淭he Trump administration wanted to rob me of this opportunity. They wanted me to be in a prison, in prison clothes, to not have education and to not have joy or celebration.鈥�

Mahdawi, a 34-year-old legal resident of the U.S., was in Vermont, part of the widening federal crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists.

He was released two weeks later by a judge, who likened the government鈥檚 actions to McCarthyist repression. Federal officials have not accused Mahdawi of committing a crime, but argued that that may undermine U.S. foreign policy.

For Mahdawi, who earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Columbia’s School of General Studies, the graduation marked a bittersweet return to a university that he says has betrayed him and other students.

鈥淭he senior administration is selling the soul of this university to the Trump administration, participating in the destruction and the degradation of our democracy,鈥� Mahdawi said.

He pointed to Columbia鈥檚 decision to 鈥� including placing its Middle Eastern studies department under new leadership 鈥� as well as its failure to speak out against his and Khalil鈥檚 arrest.

He said Columbia’s leadership had denied his pleas for protection prior to his arrest, then ignored his attorney’s request for a letter supporting his release from jail.

A spokesperson for Columbia University did not return an emailed inquiry.

Mahdawi was born in a refugee camp in the and moved to the United States in 2014. At Columbia, he organized campus protests, led a Buddhist association and co-founded the Palestinian Student Union with .

Khalil would have received his diploma from a Columbia master鈥檚 program in international studies later this week. He remains jailed in Louisiana as he awaits a decision from a federal judge about his possible release.

As he prepares for a lengthy legal battle, Mahdawi faces his own uncertain future. He was previously admitted to a master’s degree program at Columbia, where he planned to study 鈥減eacekeeping and conflict resolution” in the fall. But he is reconsidering his options after learning this month that he would not receive financial aid.

For now, he said, he would continue to advocate for the Palestinian cause, buoyed by the support he says he has received from the larger Columbia community.

鈥淲hen I went on the stage, the message was very clear and loud: They are cheering up for the idea of justice, for the idea of peace, for the idea of equality, for the idea of humanity, and nothing will stop us from continuing to do that. Not the Trump administration nor Columbia University,鈥� he said.

The School of General Studies graduation comes two days before Columbia’s university-wide commencement, as colleges across the country are bracing for possible disruptions.

Last week, New York University announced it would of a student speaker who criticized Israel鈥檚 attacks on Palestinians in his graduation speech.