FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 9, 2025
PRESS REQUESTS: INFO@STUDENTWORKERSOFCOLUMBIA.COM
Student Workers of Columbia Demand Reinstatement of Sanctuary Campus Policy
On Saturday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian recent Columbia graduate and lead negotiator for last spring’s Gaza solidarity encampment. Khalil held a green card at the time of his arrest and remains in detention as thousands petition for his immediate release. We are also aware of multiple reports of ICE agents accessing or attempting to access Columbia campus buildings on Friday and Saturday, including undergraduate dorms.
The presence of immigration enforcement agents in Columbia Housing buildings coincides with Columbia’s publication of a new protocol which reverses the school’s sanctuary campus status and states that “exigent circumstances may allow [ICE] access to University buildings or people without a warrant.” Columbia has abandoned its nearly decade-long commitment to being a sanctuary campus. This development also closely follows the Department of Justice’s announcement on the same day that it plans to cancel $400 million of grants and contracts with Columbia in retaliation for students protesting Columbia’s investments in Israel.
By allowing ICE on campus, Columbia is surrendering to the Trump administration’s assault on universities across the country and sacrificing international students to protect its finances. We call on faculty, staff, postdocs, students, and all other workers at Columbia University to stand against the administration’s cooperation with the Trump administration.
Student Workers of Columbia (UAW Local 2710), whose unit includes many international student workers, demands that President Armstrong reinstate Columbia as a sanctuary campus; refuse to provide information to immigration authorities investigating Columbia affiliates; order Public Safety and private contractors to cease surveillance of Columbia affiliates; destroy all existing records of such surveillance; conduct “know your rights” trainings; and commit not to use immigration status as leverage to coerce student workers into disciplinary proceedings.
###
