03/15/2025
Columbia, Mar. 15: In the latest development in a mounting crisis at Columbia University, US immigration authorities have arrested a second individual involved in pro-Palestinian protests at the prestigious Ivy League institution. The person, identified as Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was taken into custody in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday, federal officials confirmed. Kordia, whose student visa had been terminated in January 2022, is the second student arrested in recent days, following the apprehension of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent figure in the university’s demonstrations.
The arrests come as the Trump administration intensifies its focus on Columbia, igniting a fierce debate over free speech, antisemitism, and the boundaries of protest on college campuses.
Protests over last year’s war in Gaza have sparked national conversations, and Columbia University has emerged as a flashpoint, with the government citing the institution’s alleged failure to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence.
Kordia’s arrest, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, stems from her participation in campus protests and her overstay of a student visa that was terminated over a year ago. She was previously detained by New York City police in April 2024 for her role in a demonstration at Columbia.
The recent arrests have roiled Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus in New York City, where students have expressed growing frustration with what they perceive as the university’s acquiescence to government pressure. On Friday, more than 200 students gathered outside Columbia’s iconic gates to protest the arrests, chanting “Free Mahmoud” and “I.C.E. off our campuses,” while holding Palestinian flags and banners.
The demonstration reflected a broader outcry against federal immigration agents’ presence on campus and the perceived crackdown on student activism.-Agencies
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