Second Columbia student arrested by ICE, protests intensified

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The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has led a second Columbia student to arrest a Columbia student for immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agent, while another student was revoked and voluntarily left the country. Newark allegedly stayed in the United States on an expired F-1 student visa. The woman was previously arrested in April 2024 for participating in a pro-Palestine protest at Columbia University. The second student, Ranjani Srinivasan, a PhD candidate for Indian Urban Planning, was also revoked after DHS accused her of engaging in activities that allegedly support Hamas. DHS officials said she used the CBP app for self-eviction within a week after the revocation. Although no arrests were made during the search, Katrina Armstrong, the school’s interim principal, described the situation as “heartbreaking” in the campus community. The news came as nearly 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested during a demonstration inside the Trump Tower in New York City calling for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Colombian graduate who approved Mahmoud Khalil this year. Khalil, who has no criminal charges against him, is currently detained in Louisiana and faces deportation under a part of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows for dismissal on reasons for foreign policy. Lawyers for civil rights groups and Khalil believe that the government is using immigration laws to silence activists, setting dangerous precedents for student rights amid USWITH protests and a legal battle, and the fate of these students remains uncertain. Ballet dancer alerts will remain up to date as the situation develops.

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