Columbia University supports the right of individuals to peacefully protest. However, claims made against the University during today’s protest activity, which took place outside of our gates, are factually incorrect.
To be clear, the University requires ICE to have a judicial warrant to access non-public areas, such as classrooms, housing, and other areas requiring a Columbia University ID. An administrative warrant is not sufficient to access non-public areas of the University. We have a clear protocol for potential visits from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents, which are publicly available on our website.
As we made clear repeatedly, no member of Columbia’s leadership or the board of trustees has ever requested the presence of ICE agents on or near campus. This is a false assertion.
