Students are seen on the campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 14, 2025.
Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images
Columbia University said a student was detained by federal agents early Thursday, the latest sign of President Donald Trump’s nationwide escalation of immigration enforcement.
The student was taken by Department of Homeland Security officials from a university-owned residential building around 6:30 a.m., according to an email from Claire Shipman, the school’s acting president, obtained by CNBC.
“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 said.
The New York City-based university is gathering more details and attempting to contact the student’s family, Shipman said. The student was not named in the email.
Thursday’s detainment comes as Trump’s focus on immigration has become a national flashpoint.
Border czar Tom Homan said earlier this month that the administration would wind down its immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, an operation that sent thousands of agents to the Minneapolis area. Two U.S. citizens were killed by immigration officials this year in Minnesota, bringing the backlash against the White House’s efforts to a fever pitch.
All law enforcement agents required a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter housing and other non-public campus areas, Shipman said in her email. Agents looking to enter private campus spaces should wait until the school’s public safety team has been contacted, she added.
Columbia has been in the White House’s crosshairs since Trump returned to office last year.
The Education Department said in June that the Ivy League school did not meet its accreditation standards because it was “is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws.” A month later, Columbia said it would pay $200 million to the federal government to restore its funding that the Trump administration.
Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was released after months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention last year.
The White House and DHS did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
