(Substack)—On Wednesday afternoon, over 100 masked anti-Israel protesters stormed Columbia University’s Butler Library in New York City, bypassing security as students studied for finals, prompting university officials to call in the New York Police Department (NYPD) to manage the disruptive crowd.
The NYPD arrested more than 80 individuals, all Columbia students, according to Fox News sources. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) monitored the situation, with plans to fingerprint arrestees to identify any non-citizens.
“Time to make a point,” an ICE source told Fox News.
Non-protesting students were forced to abandon their studies and evacuate the library, they told Fox News. The State Department issued a warning to foreign students about legal consequences, stating, “Foreign university students in America have been put on notice: if you break the law or support terrorism in our country, we will revoke your visa. This administration will not tolerate noncitizens causing mayhem on our college campuses.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, “We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library. Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.”
The protesters were reportedly supporting Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and alleged leader of pro-Palestinian protests at the Ivy League school, along with other students. Khalil was arrested last month at his university-owned apartment in NYC, with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of ICE, informing him that his green card and student visa were being revoked, per his attorney, Amy Greer. He was then detained in Louisiana.
Protesters renamed Butler Library the “Basel Al-Araj Popular University” and established a liberation zone, according to posted flyers. Students reported that the group climbed on desks, chanted “Free Palestine,” and demanded Columbia divest from Israel, raising concerns about a potential encampment.
Public safety officials told masked protesters they couldn’t leave the library without showing ID cards. “Nobody comes in, nobody comes out,” a Columbia security officer at a campus gate entry stated.
Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said the university requested NYPD assistance to secure the building after two public safety officers were injured. “Sadly, during the course of this disruption, two of our Columbia Public Safety Officers sustained injuries during a crowd surge when individuals attempted to force their way into the building and into Room 301,” Shipman said. “These actions are outrageous.”
She added, “Individuals participating in the Reading Room 301 disruption were repeatedly asked for identification and to leave, and were repeatedly told that failure to comply would result in violations of our rules and policies and possible arrest for trespassing. We have been clear from the outset about applying our protocols and advising participants of the potential consequences of not complying. Requesting the presence of the NYPD is not the outcome we wanted, but it was absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community.”
An NYPD source told Fox News that arrests were necessary to identify the suspects. New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed support for Jewish New Yorkers, particularly Columbia students, and urged protesters’ parents to intervene, saying, “Make clear that breaking the law is wrong and they should exit the building immediately.” He also warned non-Columbia protesters, “Exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city.”
A university spokesperson previously stated, “These disruptions of our campus and academic activities will not be tolerated. Individuals found to be in violation of University Rules and policies will face disciplinary consequences. We ask our community members to please avoid the immediate area near Butler Library in the near term.”
Last month, Columbia warned it would dismantle any encampments and potentially arrest agitators if they attempted to establish them again this year, following last year’s protests where students occupied Hamilton Hall and clashed with police in riot gear. Those protests, sparked by Israel’s war in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks that killed over 1,200 people, led to over 200 arrests.
The university emphasized that while it values free expression and protest rights, these must comply with rules to ensure safety and uninterrupted academic activities, with authorities prepared to remove tents and disperse demonstrators immediately.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik resigned after criticism over her handling of the protests, which often escalated into clashes between anti-Israel demonstrators and police, amid rising antisemitism on campus. The university faced scrutiny, with the Trump administration canceling $400 million in federal grants in March due to Columbia’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment,” leading to layoffs of 180 staff members.
“Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination,” Shipman said. “This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grant.”
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the House GOP, criticized Democrats pushing for university investigations, saying, “We don’t need to do an investigation. We know what the problem is. They have laws and they don’t follow them. Columbia is a prime example of what happens when there are no consequences to one’s actions.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., supported Trump’s decision to withhold funds, writing on X:
While Columbia students try to study for finals, they’re being bombarded with chants for a “global intifada.”
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.… pic.twitter.com/OiXgdYZXZp
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) May 7, 2025
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