Federal immigration officers arrested a Columbia University student early Thursday morning after allegedly deceiving their way into campus housing, according to university officials.
Acting President Claire Shipman revealed that Department of Homeland Security agents took the student into custody around 6:30 a.m. from a residential building on the New York campus. The university has not disclosed the detained student’s identity.
“Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person,’” Shipman stated, emphasizing that law enforcement requires judicial warrants or subpoenas to access private university spaces like dormitories and classrooms.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized the agents’ tactics on social media, directly accusing immigration enforcement of deception.
“Let’s be clear about what happened: ICE agents didn’t have the proper warrant, so they lied to gain access to a student’s private residence,” Hochul wrote on X.
Shipman advised that when law enforcement seeks access to restricted campus areas, they should wait for campus security to facilitate the university’s proper response protocols.
Student arrests on university campuses remain uncommon, even amid President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts.
The most recent arrests at Columbia occurred approximately one year ago following pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Among those detained was activist Mahmoud Khalil, who spent three months in immigration detention before his release. Khalil continues fighting legal efforts to strip his permanent resident status and remove him from the country.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Thursday’s incident.
