Feds Searched 2 Columbia Student's Residences, School Says

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — On Thursday night, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched two Columbia University student residences, the school's leadership said in a late-night statement.

Katrina Armstrong, the school's interim president, said the agents served Columbia with two judicial search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge that authorized them to enter non-public areas of the university and search two student rooms.

"The University requires that law enforcement have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including residential University buildings," Armstrong wrote. "Tonight, that threshold was met, and the University is obligated to comply with the law. Our University Public Safety was present at all times."

During the search, no one was arrested or detained, and no items were removed, and no further action was taken, Armstrong said.

The Department of Homeland Security is the agency that oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which arrested a recent Columbia graduate and legal U.S. resident, Mahmoud Khalil, over the weekend for his involvement in pro-Palestinian activism on campus.

The arrest comes less than a week after the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal grants from Columbia and the president vowed to arrest and deport student activists.

Since then, the city has seen several protests calling for the right to free speech and condemning Khalil's arrest. Khalil, who sued Columbia on Thursday to block the school from sharing student disciplinary records with the government, is currently at a detention center in Louisiana, according to a detainee locator.

It is not yet clear whether Thursday's search warrants were targeting pro-Palestinian student activists, or if there was some other cause for the warrant. The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to a request for comment.

"I understand the immense stress our community is under. Despite the unprecedented challenges, Columbia University will remain a place where the pursuit of knowledge is cherished and fiercely protected, where the rule of law and due process is respected and never taken for granted, and where all members of our community are valued and able to thrive," Armstrong said.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.