Chaos returned to Columbia University on Wednesday night as some 80 protesters were arrested after demonstrators occupied the school’s library and clashed with police, leading to threats of deportation from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The latest chapter in more than a year of campus unrest unfolded on Wednesday afternoon when a group of pro-Palestine protesters — many of whom wore masks and keffiyehs over their faces, seemingly to prevent anyone from identifying them — entered the Ivy League school’s Butler Library and refused to leave.
Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said the illegal occupation created “a safety hazard” and prompted the university to take “the necessary step of requesting the presence of NYPD to assist in securing the building and the safety of our community.”
Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged Columbia’s request by confirming the NYPD’s entry to the campus “to remove individuals who are trespassing.”
“As I’ve said repeatedly, New York City will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we will never tolerate lawlessness. To our Jewish New Yorkers, especially the students at Columbia who feel threatened or unsafe attending class because of these events: know that your mayor stands with you and will always work to keep you safe,” Mayor Adams wrote in a Wednesday night statement. “To parents of students protesting: call your children and make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately. To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city.”
As cops entered the college, those gathering on the outside also clashed with police as officers could be seen using a metal barricade to try and force their way inside.
Meanwhile, police in flex cuffs led dozens of masked protesters out of the building.
The May 7 occupation occurred amid ongoing tension at Columbia over encampments, destruction of property, and accusations of antisemitism tied to pro-Palestine protests on campus.
Earlier this year, President Trump moved to pull hundreds of millions of dollars in Columbia’s funding unless the school cracked down on the unrest. Feds also took Mahmoud Khalil, a student organizer of the protests last year, into custody earlier this year, setting off another round of protests.
Secretary Rubio then ratcheted up the pressure on Columbia Wednesday night, threatening in an X (Twitter) post to deport those who took part in the illegal occupation and labeled them “pro-Hamas thugs.”
“We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library. Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation,” Rubio said.
Under the law, deportation applies to noncitizens and those here in the United States on visas; natural-born citizens in this country cannot be deported under the 14th Amendment. The Trump administration is seeking to strip birthright citizenship in an ongoing Supreme Court case prompted by a Trump executive order.
Wednesday’s occupation also drew further rebuke from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable,” Hochul said over social media.
