DHS agents search 2 student rooms at Columbia University but make no arrests
NEW YORK -- Federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched two Columbia University student residences Thursday night but did not arrest or detain anyone.
In a statement, Columbia President Katrina Armstrong said the DHS agents had two search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge authorizing them to enter non-public areas of the university and conduct searches of two student rooms.
"I am writing heartbroken to inform you that we had federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in two University residences tonight," Armstrong said in the statement. "No one was arrested or detained. No items were removed, and no further action was taken."
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According to the sources, it was part of the Trump administrations crackdown on individuals it has described as espousing the views of Hamas and threatening the safety of Jewish students.
The development follows the arrest Saturday night of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the university encampment protests last spring, who is being held in Louisiana.
Khalil, a green card holder who has not been charged with a crime, is set to appear before an immigration judge on March 27.
Trump administration officials have said Khalil was detained for his purported support of Hamas. Baher Azmy, one of Khalil's lawyers, called his client's alleged alignment with Hamas "false and preposterous."
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Earlier Thursday, at least 98 people were arrested at a protest in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City calling for Khalil's release.
Separately, Columbia University announced Thursday that students who occupied the campus' Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian protests last spring have been expelled, suspended for several years or had their degrees temporarily revoked.
