Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share IMMIGRATION AGENTS ENTER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HOUSING UNDER FALSE PRETENSE, ARREST STUDENT
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
IMMIGRATION AGENTS ENTER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HOUSING UNDER FALSE PRETENSE, ARREST STUDENT
ACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO SUPPORT MY WORK.
This morning around 6:30 a.m., federal immigration agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia University residential building and detained a student, Columbia officials confirmed in a message to the university community.
According to Columbia University’s acting president, Claire Shipman, law enforcement told campus security they were entering the building to search for a “missing person.” After gaining access, the agents detained a student and took them into custody.
The university emphasized that federal agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter non-public areas, including student housing. Columbia officials said they are working to gather more details, reach the student’s family, and provide legal support.
WHAT WE KNOW — FACTS, NOT OPINION
• The detention occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2026, in a Columbia residential building.
• Federal agents stated they were looking for a “missing person” when they entered.
• Columbia officials and city elected leaders have criticized the method used to gain access.
• Columbia says it is gathering more information and coordinating legal support for the student’s family.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This incident comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement on campuses and elsewhere. Columbia has been the center of national attention in recent years due to student protests and earlier immigration enforcement actions.
In 2025, ICE detained a graduate student activist, Mahmoud Khalil, drawing national protests and legal challenges. Khalil was held for more than three months before a federal judge ruled aspects of his detention unconstitutional.
That history has made Columbia students and faculty especially sensitive to federal actions involving immigration authorities. Today’s detainment resurrects those tensions.
REACTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Majority Leader Shaun Abreu — both Columbia alumni — issued a joint statement condemning the action and saying that immigration enforcement has “no place” on college campuses.
Students and protest groups on campus are expected to mobilize later today, though official statements from student organizations were still pending at the time of this publication.
WHAT’S STILL UNCLEAR
At this moment, official details about the student’s identity, legal status, or reason for detention have not been released by Columbia or federal authorities. It is also not yet confirmed whether agents had a judicial warrant or acted under other legal authority.
Columbia’s letter suggests that the method used to gain access — telling security they were searching for a missing person — may be at the center of dispute over whether normal campus safeguards were respected.
BOTTOM LINE
A student was detained by DHS agents early Thursday at Columbia University under circumstances that the university says involved misrepresentations about why the agents were entering a private residential building. The university is still gathering facts and has pledged to support the student and family as details emerge.
More updates will follow as additional reporting becomes available.
Get full access to The TAKE with Jerrod Zisser at jerrodzisser.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By The TAKE with Jerrod ZisserACCORDING TO THE UNIVERSITY
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO SUPPORT MY WORK.
This morning around 6:30 a.m., federal immigration agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia University residential building and detained a student, Columbia officials confirmed in a message to the university community.
According to Columbia University’s acting president, Claire Shipman, law enforcement told campus security they were entering the building to search for a “missing person.” After gaining access, the agents detained a student and took them into custody.
The university emphasized that federal agents must have a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter non-public areas, including student housing. Columbia officials said they are working to gather more details, reach the student’s family, and provide legal support.
WHAT WE KNOW — FACTS, NOT OPINION
• The detention occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2026, in a Columbia residential building.
• Federal agents stated they were looking for a “missing person” when they entered.
• Columbia officials and city elected leaders have criticized the method used to gain access.
• Columbia says it is gathering more information and coordinating legal support for the student’s family.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This incident comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement on campuses and elsewhere. Columbia has been the center of national attention in recent years due to student protests and earlier immigration enforcement actions.
In 2025, ICE detained a graduate student activist, Mahmoud Khalil, drawing national protests and legal challenges. Khalil was held for more than three months before a federal judge ruled aspects of his detention unconstitutional.
That history has made Columbia students and faculty especially sensitive to federal actions involving immigration authorities. Today’s detainment resurrects those tensions.
REACTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Majority Leader Shaun Abreu — both Columbia alumni — issued a joint statement condemning the action and saying that immigration enforcement has “no place” on college campuses.
Students and protest groups on campus are expected to mobilize later today, though official statements from student organizations were still pending at the time of this publication.
WHAT’S STILL UNCLEAR
At this moment, official details about the student’s identity, legal status, or reason for detention have not been released by Columbia or federal authorities. It is also not yet confirmed whether agents had a judicial warrant or acted under other legal authority.
Columbia’s letter suggests that the method used to gain access — telling security they were searching for a missing person — may be at the center of dispute over whether normal campus safeguards were respected.
BOTTOM LINE
A student was detained by DHS agents early Thursday at Columbia University under circumstances that the university says involved misrepresentations about why the agents were entering a private residential building. The university is still gathering facts and has pledged to support the student and family as details emerge.
More updates will follow as additional reporting becomes available.
Get full access to The TAKE with Jerrod Zisser at jerrodzisser.substack.com/subscribe