Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed Wednesday he is scrutinizing the visa status of anti-Israel demonstrators who took over a Columbia University library this week.
His announcement means that, should they be accused of illegal behavior or activity posing a national security threat, the protesters could have their legal status revoked and face deportation if they are foreign students in the country on visas or green cards.
“We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library,” Rubio wrote in a post on X. “Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.”
The State Department’s actions follow a pro-Palestinian protest that began late Wednesday afternoon at Butler Library, Columbia University’s main library. The protest lasted for hours as about 100 demonstrators took over the library, declaring the space a “liberated zone,” and renaming it after Palestinian writer and activist Bassel al Araj, who was killed by Israel Defense Forces in a 2017 operation. One sign displayed by the group during the library takeover threatened, “Columbia will burn.”
The New York City Police Department swept in to clear the scene at the request of Columbia University President Claire Shipman, New York Mayor Eric Adams said. Police arrested about 80 students, according to the Columbia Spectator. Two public safety officers were injured during the incident, per Shipman, who confirmed Wednesday that she called in the NYPD after the protesters descended into behavior that included “violence” and “antisemitism.”
In a statement, she said the protesters had “forced” their way into the building past security and created a “safety hazard.” They refused requests to identify themselves and leave despite being repeatedly asked to do so, the Columbia president said, condemning the incident as “outrageous.”
“This is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams. Columbia strongly condemns violence on our campus, antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination, some of which we witnessed today,” Shipman added. “Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community.”
Eden Yadegar, a self-identified Middle East studies major at Columbia University, said the protestors were disrupting the “basic function” of the university in a post on X.
“Public Safety is currently clearing out all other rooms on the lower floors of Butler Library,” she wrote. “Why are the protestors able to continue disrupting the basic function of our university while all other students have to pay the consequences?”
The protesters were led by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the same pro-Palestinian student group that was led by Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Columbia graduate who was recently arrested and had his visa revoked by the Trump administration. Khalil, a spokesman for the CUAD during his time at the university, is challenging his detention in court, arguing his conduct is protected as free speech. The Trump administration detained him in March for deportation due to his participation in a Columbia University pro-Palestinian demonstration, in which pamphlets written by Hamas state media were distributed, and accusations that he lied about his association with a controversial United Nations agency when he applied for his green card.
So far, the Trump administration has revoked over 300 visas, according to Rubio’s remarks in late March. The White House is engaged in a number of legal battles, including with Harvard, over efforts to target antisemitism that critics say has descended into censoring free speech.
The administration’s attempts to combat antisemitism include pulling federal funding from institutions accused of tolerating hate and illegal behavior during pro-Palestinian protests. Billions have been yanked from Harvard, while over $400 million in federal funding was rescinded from Columbia in March.
Trump allies such as Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have argued that publicly funded institutions should not receive support if they’re allowing civil rights violations to play out on campus.
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She also weighed in on the recent Columbia protest in a post to X.
“While Columbia students try to study for finals, they’re being bombarded with chants for a ‘global intifada,’” Stefanik wrote on Thursday. “President @realDonaldTrump is right: not a single taxpayer dollar should go to a university that allows chaos, antisemitism, and civil rights violations on its campus. Columbia must act — enough is enough.”