Columbia Chief 'Heartbroken' as DHS Agents Enter Dorms

As former Columbia University grad student Mahmoud Khalil fights the Trump administration's plans to deport him for his past pro-Palestine activism at the New York City institution, the school itself contended with more federal activity on campus this week. The New York Times reports that agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered two Columbia dorms on Thursday, after presenting two judicial search warrants. This week, Columbia also announced it had suspended and expelled some students who took over a campus building during pro-Palestine demonstrations last spring, as well as temporarily revoked some recent grads' diplomas. More on the continuing commotion as the Trump administration takes its fight to the college front on antisemitism, protesters, and DEI initiatives:

• DHS searches: In a letter to the school community, Columbia's interim chief, Katrina Armstrong, said she was "heartbroken" about the DHS activity on campus, though she stressed that "no one was arrested or detained. No items were removed, and no further action was taken."
• More from Armstrong: "I understand the immense stress our community is under. Despite the unprecedented challenges, Columbia University will remain a place where the pursuit of knowledge is cherished and fiercely protected, where the rule of law and due process is respected and never taken for granted, and where all members of our community are valued and able to thrive."

• An 'extraordinary ultimatum': The AP reports on another blow to Columbia, in the form of a Thursday letter from the Trump administration threatening to permanently pull federal funding from the Ivy League school unless it places its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under "academic receivership for a minimum of five years" and makes other changes on campus, including adopting a new definition of "antisemitism." It's not clear what the receivership would do or why that department in particular was targeted.
• American Council on Education: The US government has already pulled hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of grants and contracts from Columbia, accusing it of not doing enough to protect Jewish students from antisemitism. In a Monday statement, ACE's leader pushed back on that move. "We stand against antisemitism. Period," President Ted Mitchell said. "But the Trump administration's decision last week to arbitrarily cancel some $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University is not the right way to fight hatred."
• More targets: Columbia isn't the only institution of higher learning that's in the crosshairs. On Friday, the Education Department announced it's looking into at least 50 other colleges and universities—including MIT and Yale—for "racial preferences" when it comes to scholarships and academics, reports the Hill. A February letter from the agency to universities telling them to scrap all DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives said that schools found not to be in compliance could lose federal funding.
• A mad 'scramble': That's how the Wall Street Journal describes how colleges and universities are responding in the current climate, including by canceling events deemed too "woke" and rescinding acceptance offers to grad students due to federal funding cuts. When it comes to the more elite colleges, the Times notes that "their usual allies are nowhere in sight"—"usual allies" meaning megadonors.

(More Columbia University stories.)