An Israeli citizen living in the United States faces deportation after participating in an anti-Israel protest in New York last year, immigration authorities confirmed. Yehonatan Ovadia, a 35-year-old religious teacher and member of the ultra-Orthodox Satmar Hasidic community, was detained by federal agents in August after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revoked his visa status.
Mr. Ovadia came to the U.S. in 2022 on a religious worker visa. The revocation followed an incident in November 2023 when an Israeli flag was removed from the Ramapo town hall in Rockland County, New York, during a protest against the state of Israel. Federal officials cited his involvement in the flag’s removal, although Mr. Ovadia has denied directly tearing down or damaging it. Initially charged with hate crimes related to the incident, he ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in early 2024 and paid a fine.
The controversy began after Ramapo’s town supervisor installed a prominent Israeli flag on the government building following the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and took hostages. The majority of local Orthodox Jews opposed the flag’s display on religious grounds, as some Hasidic groups, including Satmar, reject Zionism and the state of Israel, viewing its establishment as forbidden before the arrival of the Messiah.
Mr. Ovadia is affiliated with the Satmar community, the largest anti-Zionist Hasidic group in New York. He has attended demonstrations alongside others opposing Israel and supporting Palestinian rights, often flying the Palestinian flag. In a statement from detention, he described the protests as peaceful expressions of his religious beliefs and support for peace.
Following the flag incident, law enforcement reviewed surveillance footage showing several men removing the flag and destroying it. Mr. Ovadia was questioned by police and later charged but released without bail. The hate crime allegations were dropped by prosecutors, but the immigration consequences persisted.
In 2025, when Mr. Ovadia’s visa renewal application was under review, USCIS requested court and police documents tied to the protest. Although the agency found no evidence of a qualifying criminal conviction, it exercised discretionary authority to deny his extension, citing “adverse factors” such as the dismissed charges, his disorderly conduct violation, and refusal to identify others involved. The decision did not reference anti-Israel activism or a 2025 executive order by President Trump targeting noncitizens engaged in antisemitic conduct, though Mr. Ovadia’s attorneys have argued their client’s political and religious expression was wrongly conflated with antisemitism.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mr. Ovadia after he appeared for a hearing in Manhattan immigration court and is currently held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn. His legal team has filed a suit seeking his release, claiming the government is retaliating against protected speech.
Supporters from the Satmar community gathered in Manhattan ahead of an immigration hearing, where a judge denied bail. Rabbi Leibish Iliovits, a local leader and acquaintance of Mr. Ovadia, described him as committed to his beliefs yet nonviolent.
The Department of Homeland Security emphasized that visa holders must comply with U.S. laws and that revocations occur within legal authority, particularly in cases involving support for violence or terrorism. The agency stated Mr. Ovadia had “overstayed his welcome” after his legal status was revoked. Efforts to secure comments from Ramapo officials were unsuccessful.