The Trump administration has announced the arrest of the second pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University, the prestigious US university, following the widely protested detention of Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil.
In a press release Friday, the Department of Homeland Security accused Columbia University of Palestinian student Lequa Cordia of overstaying F-1 student visas that had been rescinded in January 2022 due to “lack of attendance.”
The statement also revealed that an agent from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) has detained her for deportation.
Cordia was arrested in April 2024 for participating in an anti-war protest at Columbia University.
Meanwhile, the visa for Indian citizen Ranjani Srinivasan, another doctoral student, was revoked on March 5 to “defend violence and terrorism.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Srinivasan has chosen to “self-abolize.”
The Associated Press also searched the campus homes of two Columbia University students on Thursday, although no arrests were made during the search.
The announcement follows comments from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the US is likely to revoke more student visas in the coming days.
The Trump administration has consistently equated with Israel’s participation in protests against the war in Gaza in support of Hamas, and has accused the protesters of being supportive of “terrorists.”
In a statement to the Guardian on Friday, Daniel Levy, a spokesman for Betar US, a far-right pro-Israel group, confirmed that the organization provided the Trump administration with “thousands of names” of students and faculty for potential deportation for participation in the Gaza War protests.
Less than a week before Cordia was arrested, Palestinian students at Columbia University had already gained ice custody for deportation, igniting nationwide protests, raising concerns about suppressing Palestinian sentiment and freedom of speech.
This comes amid growing criticism of Israel’s 16-month attack on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023.
Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism has issued a statement focusing on “surprising cold” among international students over the past week.
“Many of our international students are afraid to attend classes and events on campus,” explained the statement signed by the “Columbia Journalism Faculty.” He continued, “They are right to worry.”
Mahmoud Khalil was a key figure at Colombia’s Gaza Solidarity Rally and Camp and became a public spokesman for the protests that took place.
Beyond Colombia, protests from the pro-Palestinian campus have spread nationwide and worldwide, protesting against a devastating Israeli military campaign that killed more than 48,500 Palestinians.
Halil, a legal US resident with a green card, was arrested and first placed in New Jersey immigration custody before being moved to Louisiana.
Palestinian graduate students have since become a symbol of President Donald Trump’s efforts to condemn anti-Semitic and anti-American protests last year.
Arab, Muslim and Jewish students and faculty members who participated in the protest at Columbia University criticize Israel and argue that defending Palestinian rights is not equivalent to anti-Semitism.
The latest development comes after the Trump administration issued a letter on Thursday, calling for Colombia’s Middle East, South Asia and Africa Studies (MESAA) to be placed under “academic recipients.”
This means that outside authorities will take control. This is usually a penalty for mismanagement.
The letter warned that failure to comply could undermine “the continuing financial relationship between Columbia University and the US government.”
The acceptance proposal was one of several requests by the administration.
The administration also advocated the abolition of university judicial committees to deal with disciplinary issues, the ban on masks on campus, and the adoption of a controversial definition of anti-Semitism, robbing fears of limiting legitimate criticism in Israel.