Attacks on Academia: Deportation as a Scare Tactic at Columbia

By: Cory Voskanian

Photo by Kylie Cooper/Reuters

Columbia University, located in the heart of New York City, is home to some of the greatest scientists, writers, researchers—and activists—the world has to offer. Despite harboring so many changemakers, the institution, along with the current administration, has faced scrutiny for thrusting deportation threats upon two international student protestors. In particular, it has become increasingly clear how President Donald Trump has utilized the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to target student activists who he ideologically disagrees with on the basis of their alleged threat to the security of the nation (Atkins & Silva, 2025). During the 2024 pro-Palestine protests at Columbia, there already existed a blurred line surrounding the rights of student activists; now deportation as a response to protest has created even further ambiguity about the intersection of national security and First Amendment rights. 

Universities have a duty to protect the students that give them their academic merit, and the right to protest should not have the consequence of deportation attached to it. There are multiple policies that could be implemented through university and government collaboration that would help secure the rights of international students. This could include the designation of school grounds as “sanctuary” campuses, the creation of a nationwide student-immigrant advocacy coalition, and the initiation of an independent oversight committee that would review university-student protest cases without bias. 

To begin, the legal relationship between the federal government and international student protestors must be further defined. The first instance of this complex association surrounds Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and permanent resident who is currently being held in an ICE detention center. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Trump administration has argued that Khalil’s pro-Palestinian activism is adversely affecting foreign policy to a point that his presence in the United States must be challenged to resolve this issue. Khalil’s lawyers, however, have stated that “It’s almost unprecedented to invoke a provision like this…The government is clearly going after him because they don’t like what he says about what’s going on in the Middle East” (Atkins & Silva, 2025). This situation involving Khalil only further displays the need to implement an independent oversight committee that could review cases like these in an impartial matter. 

This seems to be a very practical solution as well, as many universities are already taking steps to secure the posterity of their international students. For one, Rice University has created an International Travel Incident Response Team that seeks to protect students who may encounter immigration or visa problems (Cancelarich, 2025). An expansion of this type of committee would include government officials, international faculty and student representatives, and legal experts who could objectively and holistically review student-protest cases. This committee would be hosted by participating universities, but would take advice from willing members of the government to ensure its enforcement. Additionally, a committee of this type would have a rigorous selection process to ensure neutrality and fairness from its participating members. It is clear that the Trump administration “is looking at speech – the exercise of free speech – and using that to dig into perceived immigration violations so that they can revoke student visa[s]” (Charalambous et. al, 2025). The story of Khalil poses a further question about who exactly First Amendment rights extend to — is this constitutional provision only valid for citizens? 

This committee is only one policy adjustment that could be implemented in order to support the rights of international scholars; a student-led advocacy collaborative would also have a similar effect. A second international student at Columbia has felt the ramifications of the Trump administration’s student deportation mission. Yunseo Chung is a legal permanent resident whose presence in the United States, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “undermines U.S. policy to combat antisemitism around the world and in the United States” (2025). The concept of a peer-run advocacy board seems particularly pertinent in this scenario, because students can directly shed light on their lived experiences and what is happening around them. Their first-hand perspective is even more relevant given that, in the case of Chung, “agents apparently seeking her searched two residences on the Columbia campus with warrants…aimed at those who give shelter to noncitizens present in the United States illegally” (Aleaziz & Bromwich, 2025). This shows that the issue of students facing deportation expands far beyond these students themselves; it involves their roommates, their friends, and their peers. With a student-run immigrant advocacy coalition, it would be much easier to mobilize information about ICE, student deportations, and the protection of one’s international peers. A proposed collaborative would likely be supported by faculty members and government officials specializing in immigration policy. 

Beyond the formation of a student-led advocacy group, the establishment of college grounds as “sanctuary” campuses would be effective in protecting the rights of international students. A sanctuary campus, based on the idea of sanctuary cities,  protects international students from being deported while on college property. The Sanctuary School and Safe Zone movement has already set precedent for the scope of this notion; a legal movement which gained steam during the 2016 election, it seeks to ensure a safe environment where immigrant populations can exercise their rights to education and speech (Immigrants Rising, 2006). Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, is one of many campuses that have already set the standard on this matter, vowing to not allow ICE on campus without a warrant and refusing to share any information about undocumented students with ICE unless authorized by proper legal proceedings (Gutmann et. al, 2016). The enforcement of this sanctuary campus would likely involve a partnership between federal board members, campus executives, and state governments. 

The road to protecting international student protestors is both long and complicated—especially when the current administration threatens deportation for ideological disagreement. That being said, there are various policy changes that could be implemented by the federal government and university executives that could mitigate these threats. These include the formation of an independent oversight committee that would review international student-protest cases,  the arrangement of a student-immigrant organized advocacy network, and the creation of “sanctuary” campuses modeled after sanctuary cities. It is especially important that a solution is implemented quickly, as international students run the risk of losing their livelihoods as time progresses.

The views expressed in this publication are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Rice Journal of Public Policy, its staff, or its Editorial Board.

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References

Atkins, Chloe, and Daniella Silva. “What’s next for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia Student Facing Deportation over His Pro-Palestinian Activism?” NBC News, 22 Mar. 2025, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mahmoud-khalil-columbia-student-facing-deportation-palestinian-activis-rcna196799.

Bromwich, Jonah E., and Hamed Aleaziz. “Columbia Student Hunted by ICE Sues to Prevent Deportation.” The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/nyregion/columbia-student-ice-suit-yunseo-chung.html?smid=url-share.

Cancelarich, James. “Rice Establishes International Travel Incident Response Team.” Rice Establishes International Travel Incident Response Team - the Rice Thresher, 2 Apr. 2025, www.ricethresher.org/article/2025/04/rice-establishes-international-travel-incident-response-team. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

Charalambous, Peter, et al. “Some Foreign College Students Are Being Targeted for Deportation. What Rights Do They Have?” ABC News, 31 Mar. 2025, abcnews.go.com/US/foreign-college-students-targeted-deportation-rights/story?id=120262362.

Gutmann, Amy, et al. “A Message to the Penn Community Concerning Our DACA and Undocumented Community Members | Penn Today.” Penn Today, 30 Nov. 2016, penntoday.upenn.edu/message-penn-community-concerning-our-daca-and-undocumented-community-members. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.

Rubio, Marco. “Memorandum for the Secretary of Homeland Security.” United States Department of State, 11 Apr. 2025, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25896873-rubio-letter-2/

“Understanding the Sanctuary School & Safe Zone Movement: A Quick Guide for Educators” Immigrants Rising, immigrantsrising.org/wp-content/uploads/Immigrants-Rising_Understanding-the-Sanctuary-School-and-Safe-Zone-Movement.pdf.