Immigration officials have arrested a second pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia University and revoked the visa of another student, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday.
Newsweek reached out to DHS and the White House for comment via email.
The Context
Friday’s development comes amid widespread protests over the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a university graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, over the weekend.
What To Know
Leqaa Korda, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested for overstaying her student visa, DHS said. Her visa was terminated in January 2022 due to lack of attendance, and she had previously been arrested for her involvement in Columbia protests in April 2024, according to the department.
The Trump administration also revoked the visa of Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen and doctoral student, on March 5, citing “advocating for violence and terrorism.” Srinivasan chose to “self-deport” on Tuesday, DHS said.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
Federal agents also searched two Columbia University residences on Thursday night, Katrina Armstrong, the university’s president, said in a statement.
“I am writing heartbroken to inform you that we had federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in two University residents tonight,” she said. “No one was arrested or detained. No items were removed, and no further action was taken.”
The statement went on to say that DHS agents arrived with two judicial search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge which authorized them to enter non-public areas of the university and search two student rooms.
Armstrong added that the school is “obligated to comply with the law” and that “our University Public Safety was present at all times.”
Khalil, meanwhile, is currently being detained in Louisiana after initially being held in New Jersey. He helped lead student protests at Columbia over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and now faces possible deportation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Khalil’s lawyers will hold a virtual press briefing on Friday afternoon “to provide updates on his conditions, explain how this is an abuse of immigration law, and discuss the constitutional violations at the heart of this case.”
Columbia has been targeted by the Trump administration for what the president has characterized as antisemitism related to campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration stripped Columbia of more than $400 million in federal funding days after the president threatened any school or university that “allows illegal protests,” adding that “agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”
“American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the president added.
What People Are Saying
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said: “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
What Happens Next
The DHS will likely continue its crackdown on Columbia protests. The Trump administration is also trying to revoke Khalil’s green card, though officials have acknowledged Khalil hasn’t been charged with any crime. Trump said earlier that Khalil’s was the “first arrest of many to come.”
