Following the days when immigration officials arrested a supporter of Palestinian rights on campus The director of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School has received an influx of queries from students looking for guidance on fundamental issues.
"I've provided individual guidance to students about whether they should study overseas, whether they should post content online, and whether they can and should take part in demonstrations," explained Elora Mukherjee, who is a law school professor and clinic director.
A week ago, certain activities seemed obvious, but now students find themselves questioning them: 'Should I participate in this?' 'What dangers should I be aware of?'
Last weekend saw the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian refugee The revocation of an individual’s green card due to participation in protests at Columbia University has created a chilling atmosphere on college campuses throughout America. Students report feeling compelled to exercise caution when expressing their constitutional rights to free speech.
This situation establishes a frightening precedent for all students, with special concern for international students, especially those holding visas and green cards," stated Zaid, a University of California, Berkeley student who requested anonymity due to fears of potential repercussions. "If Khalil faces deportation, what implications does this have for our country’s future and the protection of free speech under the First Amendment? And more importantly, which community might become the next target?
At Columbia University, where there are almost 24,000 international students, Mukherjee mentioned that the Immigrants' Rights Clinic is guiding worried students to stay inconspicuous in order to evade scrutiny from the Trump administration.
International students along with those who are undocumented or have uncertain immigration statuses "are now terrified about their potential fate," she stated.
"These seem to be exceptionally perilous times. I'm prompting students to consider elements that might increase their vulnerability and urging and attempting to equip individuals with the confidence to make choices that will serve their lives best," Mukherjee stated.
For certain individuals, this involves avoiding social media altogether. However, for many others, expressing themselves through these platforms is integral to who they are, and they choose to accept the associated dangers. The point I’m highlighting is that there are now hazards which were neither anticipated nor previously encountered.
Fears of 'knock-on impact' on subsequent students
President Donald Trump characterized Khalil on social media as a "radical foreign supporter of Hamas" who participated in "terroristic, antisemitic, and anti-American activities." He cautioned that this individual’s detainment marks "the beginning of numerous arrests yet to occur."
Khalil, who finished his master’s program at Columbia in December, is married to an American citizen whose pregnancy is now eight months along. A federal judge based in New York has taken up this case. temporarily blocked his deportation and he remains in ICE custody In Louisiana, Trump stated that he could lose his green card and face deportation. It's important to note that he hasn't been accused of any criminal activity.
The government’s case has “no basis in law,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union and part of his legal team, told on Friday. She said Khalil was essentially kidnapped “based on an accusation that he has the wrong political ideas, and he has expressed them.” She called his detention “an attempt to bully the universities into submission” and “intimidate” students and faculty from speaking out.
On Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended an additional individual participating in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia , due to immigration issues connected with overstaying her visa. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, saw her visa revoked in January 2022 because she did not attend classes regularly. Last year, she was apprehended by local authorities for participating in "pro-Hamas demonstrations," according to statements made by the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, another Columbia University student chose to leave the country voluntarily and move to Canada, as mentioned by the relevant authority.
Although Columbia University and its students have thus far been the focus, these worries reach well beyond just this Ivy League institution.
There are individuals within our community who find themselves especially susceptible during this period," Zaid stated, speaking about the UC Berkeley campus. "Many people are currently walking a thin line—they're so afraid that they remain immobilized, avoiding going outside, protesting, or participating in any form of activism, yet simultaneously taking necessary legal precautions.
University students and faculty members throughout the U.S. are closely monitoring the situation. The Trump administration’s increasingly stringent actions against Columbia amid accusations of antisemitism. The measures taken by Washington against Columbia involve detaining a well-known pro-Palestinian student activist, the termination of $400 million in federal funding and agreements , along with conditioning federal funding on the prohibition of masks during protests, granting the university president exclusive authority for student discipline, and enabling campus law enforcement to conduct arrests.
The "destruction" of the First Amendment and federal funding will impact future generations significantly, according to Zaid from UC Berkeley.
Jameel Jaffer, who leads the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia, On social platforms, they detailed the Trump administration’s requirements. It's essentially stating, "We'll demolish Columbia unless you do so first."
Jaffer was alluding to a collaborative letter sent to Columbia by the U.S. Department of Education along with various other agencies, which detailed prerequisites for "official discussions concerning Columbia University’s ongoing financial connection with the United States government."
A representative from Columbia stated that the institution is "currently reviewing the letter," and emphasized that they remain "dedicated to fulfilling our mission, backing our students, and tackling every form of prejudice and hostility within our premises."
Robert McCaughey, a retired professor of history from Barnard College affiliated with Columbia University and writer of a book chronicling Columbia’s past, remarked that the conflicts between the Trump administration and the university are "distinctive, and their rapid escalation over financial matters further underscores this singularity."
And when they target the students, they also go for the funds," he stated. "In this aspect, I believe Columbia might have an unusually high susceptibility due to its large population of international students. If these students were prevented from enrolling—unable to obtain visas or similar documentation—it would significantly impact the university’s finances.
'It really makes me want to speak up'
On Thursday at Harvard University, almost 200 faculty members, employees, and students gathered for a rally supporting Khali and condemning the Trump administration’s moves against universities. Violet Brown, a junior involved with organizations such as Harvard Jews for Palestine along with various other pro-Palestinian groups, participated in this protest. She mentioned that this event marked one of the biggest demonstrations seen on campus since early last year.
It’s certainly frightening to see what’s unfolding at Columbia," she stated. "The situation at Columbia demonstrated for all of us—and hopefully also made our administrators aware—that neither compliance nor submission to an undeniably fascist regime will benefit anyone, since Columbia adopted one of the harshest and most brutal methods to suppress demonstrations.
Last spring, the student group at Columbia University called "Columbia University Apartheid Divest" urged the institution to withdraw all investments linked to Israel and also requested a halt to hostilities in Gaza. Following the university’s failure to meet the set deadline regarding investment disengagement, both students and supporters took action. unaffiliated with the school They entered Columbia University's Hamilton Hall and locked themselves inside. The institution summoned law enforcement to escort the demonstrators out, resulting in over 110 individuals being detained. according to the NYPD .
Columbia said on Thursday It has been reported that the institution has taken action against students involved in occupying Hamilton Hall during April 2024 through expelling, suspending, or temporarily revoking their degrees. The exact number of affected students remains unknown. When asked for specifics regarding disciplinary actions, a representative from the university cited "obligations concerning student privacy" as the reason they could not disclose this information.
Last spring, tensions escalated at American universities when certain administrators requested police intervention to dismantle protest camps and detain students involved in campus demonstrations that began following the events of October 7, 2023. The Hamas assault in Southern Israel followed by the ensuing conflict in Gaza .
For international students, there could be an additional layer of caution regarding their visibility," Brown stated concerning protest activities this spring. "However, if anything, the current assault on free speech seems to be energizing people more than events like the genocide in Gaza or the West Bank ever have, which is truly regrettable.
Richard Solomon, a PhD candidate in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an organizer with the MIT Coalition for Palestine, described Khalil’s detainment as "a futile effort to label legitimate expression as a crime." He also mentioned that this arrest has instead "unified our community even more strongly."
People are becoming more involved, upset, and prepared to take tangible actions," he stated. "Each official who contacted law enforcement regarding their own students and each coworker who advised others to 'stay quiet' bear some responsibility for the Trump administration’s disappearance of a student.
Benjamin Kersten, a UCLA PhD candidate and part of the pro-Palestinian organization Jewish Voice for Peace, mentioned that many international and undocumented students who aren’t engaged with the anti-war efforts advocating for divestment from Israel are also avoiding the university in Los Angeles following Khalil’s arrest.
It really amplifies the stakes for those involved in the movement as well as those outside of it," he stated. "This effort to liberate Mahmoud Khalil has now become integral to urging universities to resist complying with directives from the Trump administration and to adopt measures safeguarding their students. This includes committing to uphold freedoms such as free speech and the right to peaceful demonstration... It underscores the immediacy even further. It definitely compels me to amplify my voice.
Students encouraged to concentrate on their class assignments
On March 11, three days following Khalil’s detention, the Columbia Journalism School convened a student meeting to discuss worries regarding freedom of expression and journalistic integrity amid heightened tensions due to federal immigration authorities removing the recent graduate from campus accommodations. Dean Jelani Cobb posted on social media that an inquiry addressed what measures were being taken "to safeguard visa-holding students against possible arrests and deportations."
Cobb noted that he expressed his commitment to use every resource available to protect our journalists and uphold their right to report. However, he acknowledged that neither he nor anyone else could prevent DHS from potentially endangering their safety. He emphasized the necessity of providing a "truthful account of the dangers" and threats involved in covering the events occurring on campus.
Stuart Karle, who serves as both an adjunct professor and a specialist in media law, advised the attendees of the meeting "to concentrate on finishing their coursework and obtaining their degrees."
And to ensure they can achieve this, they're much better served by avoiding becoming a target for enforcement," he stated, additionally advising them to abstain from commenting on social media regarding subjects like the Middle East or Ukraine.
There isn't much sense in becoming the individual they choose as an exemplar... All signs indicate that the administration is concentrating their efforts on Columbia," Karle stated regarding Khalil’s detention. "What stands out... is his possession of a green card. He doesn't have a student visa at all. This raises concerns... making us very mindful that the guidelines may no longer be consistent; things have changed.
Chelsea, Bailey, Gloria Pazmino, Dalia Faheid, Priscilla Alvarez, Angelica Franganillo Diaz, Jennifer Hansler, Karina Tsui, Elizabeth Hartfield, Jeff Winter, Alaa Elassar, Michelle Watson, and Lauren Mascarenhas all helped put together this report.
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