The Department of Justice said it is investigating recent events at Columbia University for potential terrorism offenses during campus events protesting the Israel–Hamas war.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Friday that the department is looking at whether Columbia violated civil rights and anti-terrorism laws in its handling of the protests, which erupted in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
The protest reached its peak last spring when anti-Israel activists established an encampment in a central quad and later occupied a university building. Columbia’s president ultimately stepped down after months of intense backlash and accusations that she failed to address widespread anti-Semitism on campus.
In a speech to the DOJ, Blanche said the investigation was part of President Donald Trump’s “mission to end anti-Semitism in this country” and an action “long overdue.”
“Let me be clear: Hamas is a terrorist organization. It has the blood of American citizens on its hands,” Blanche said. “Any person engaging in the material support of terrorism will be prosecuted. This includes those who threaten acts of violence on behalf of Hamas in the United States or even pay Hamas in the United States.”
Blanche also mentioned a separate investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into whether Columbia was shielding foreign nationals illegally remaining in the country.
“Just last night, we worked with the Department of Homeland Security to execute search warrants from an investigation into Columbia University for harboring and concealing illegal aliens on its campus,” Blanche said. “That investigation is ongoing, and we are also looking at whether Columbia’s handling of earlier incidents violated civil rights laws and included terrorism crimes.”
Deportations and Arrests
By Friday afternoon, DHS had announced developments concerning two individuals it pursued in connection with the Columbia protests.“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” Noem stated in the news release. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
The CBP Home app, a repurposed version of the CBP One app that was formerly used to schedule appointments for potential parolees in Mexico, now includes a “self-deportation” feature that allows users to declare their intent to leave the United States.
Another protester, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly overstaying her student visa. DHS stated that her visa was terminated in January 2022 due to lack of attendance, and that she had been arrested last April for her involvement in pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia campus.
Kordia is the second protester affiliated with the Columbia protests to be detained by ICE this month. The first was Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian national of Palestinian descent who recently graduated from Columbia’s master’s program. He is currently being held at a detention center in Louisiana.
DHS, however, has characterized Khalil’s actions differently.