Columbia Protesters Demand Release, Sanctuary Campus

On Monday, about a dozen Columbia University students and alumni chained themselves to the university’s main gates at 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue to protest the detention of Palestinian student activists Mohsen Mahdawi and Mahmoud Khalil by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The demonstrators, representing groups including the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition and Jewish Voice for Peace, demanded the activists’ immediate release, called for Columbia to become a sanctuary campus, and urged greater protection for international students as well as reduced cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Protesters also criticized the university’s tightened campus access policies, in effect since October 2023, and accused Columbia of complicity in Israeli actions. The protest included reading the names of Palestinians killed in Gaza. Security officials responded by issuing dispersal warnings and attempting to remove the chained protesters, but no arrests were reported. The demonstration underscored ongoing tensions over free speech, university policy, and U.S. involvement in Middle East issues.