The most recent arrest, carried out by immigration officers from the Newark, New Jersey field office, occurred just hours after federal agents executed search warrants at two university residences.
Federal agents have arrested a Palestinian student who participated in last spring’s protests at Columbia University and had overstayed her student visa, officials said Friday.
The student, identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, had previously been arrested for her involvement in the protests. Officials stated that her visa was terminated in January 2022 due to lack of attendance.
Her arrest by immigration officers from the Newark, New Jersey, field office follows the self-deportation of Ranjani Srinivasan, a Columbia doctoral student from India, whom DHS accused of supporting Hamas. Srinivasan left the country on Tuesday after the State Department revoked her visa the previous week.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”
The arrest has heightened concerns among Columbia students, many of whom fear being unjustly targeted amid growing tensions on campus. Just hours earlier, federal agents executed search warrants at two university residences.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Friday that the Justice Department is collaborating with DHS in an investigation into Columbia’s alleged “harboring and concealing of illegal aliens on its campus.”
University officials assured students that no arrests were made and no items were seized when DHS agents entered the two rooms on Thursday night. However, international students remain on edge.
Columbia’s campus in upper Manhattan has witnessed renewed demonstrations, particularly following the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and legal permanent U.S. resident. Khalil, who played a public role in negotiations during last year’s protests, was taken into custody on Saturday.
Many students declined to comment when approached by NBC News, while others requested anonymity, fearing government retaliation.
“This is exactly what I was worried about months ago,” said an engineering student from the U.K. who participated in last spring’s pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the war in Gaza. “You don’t know the full scope of who they’re targeting—thousands of students were involved in some capacity, and everything was on camera.”
Columbia’s American students are also showing support for their international peers following the federal searches.
A junior at the university described her reaction to an email from interim president Katrina Armstrong, informing students of the search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge.
“It is pretty frightening. The school is doing its best to keep students safe, but there’s a limit to what they can do,” she said. “Last night showed that limit.”
Sebastian Javadpoor, 22, leader of Columbia’s student-led Democratic club, said he was “overcome with rage” after the search warrants were executed.
He and other student leaders met with university officials to express their concerns. “Some students are so afraid of retaliation that they won’t even report safety concerns to public security, the NYPD, or the administration,” Javadpoor said.
Khalil was arrested as part of an effort to revoke his green card and deport him, according to his lawyers. The 30-year-old Algerian citizen and pro-Palestinian activist is married to a U.S. citizen and was arrested at his university-owned residence.
“The Secretary of State has determined that your presence or activities in the United States would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” stated a DHS document obtained by NBC News.
Khalil is currently detained at a facility in Louisiana, where officials want him to remain. His lawyers argue that he should be returned to New York and that his arrest violates his First Amendment rights.
His removal from campus occurred just days after the Trump administration announced plans to cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia, citing the university’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
The administration has demanded sweeping policy changes, including a ban on masks intended to conceal identities or intimidate others, as well as allowing full law enforcement authority to arrest and remove agitators. Columbia has stated it will work with the administration to maintain funding and remains “committed to combating antisemitism and ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff.”
A DHS spokesperson said Khalil’s arrest was coordinated with ICE and the State Department in support of “President Trump’s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism,” alleging that Khalil “led activities aligned with Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.”
This latest development follows months of unrest on Columbia’s campus, where student protesters occupied Hamilton Hall last year, leading to numerous arrests for trespassing. While most of the charges were eventually dropped, Columbia announced Thursday that it has suspended or expelled some of the students involved and temporarily revoked the diplomas of those who had already graduated.
On Friday, police barricades surrounded Columbia’s main entrance. The once-open university gates were locked, requiring students to show their IDs to enter. Security officers, news cameras, and police forces lined the perimeter.
In response to Khalil’s arrest and the disciplinary actions against students, some students staged a walkout Friday afternoon.
University leaders are now focusing on how Columbia can defend its independence in the face of mounting pressure from the Trump administration, which is cracking down on certain international students involved in last year’s pro-Palestinian protests.
Some faculty members argue that the administration’s demands overstep the university’s authority. “This is a moment to discuss what the university stands for,” said an administrator who requested anonymity. “How do we prevent the university from being divided?”
A graduate student from India said she wanted to join protests over Khalil’s removal but feared doing so could put her student visa at risk.
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