Columbia University has conceded to a series of demands set forth by President Donald Trump, aiming to facilitate negotiations for the reinstatement of its $400 million federal funding, which was revoked last month due to “a failure to shield Jewish students from antisemitic harassment.”
Among other stipulations, the institution has agreed to prohibit face masks and grant 36 campus police officers the authority to arrest students.
A new senior provost will be appointed to oversee the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department, as well as the Center for Palestine Studies.
What led to this situation, and what commitments has Columbia made?
What prompted the US government to impose demands on Columbia?
Last year, the university was a focal point during a surge of campus protests across the US, coinciding with the intensification of Israel’s conflict with Gaza. On April 30, a coalition of students, staff, and alumni occupied Hamilton Hall, an academic facility on campus, but were forcibly removed by New York police at the university administration’s request.
The Trump administration has adopted a strict stance against participants in last year’s demonstrations, pledging in its initial week to deport students who took part. Earlier this month, Columbia’s federal funding was revoked, accompanied by a list of conditions the university must meet to restore its funding.
Recently, Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, 29, who played a pivotal role in organizing pro-Palestinian protests, was apprehended at his university residence in upper Manhattan by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. They indicated they would revoke his green card – permanent residency – following an order from the Department of State.
“Receiving a visa to live and study in the United States is a privilege. Advocating for violence and terrorism warrants its revocation, thus you should not remain in this country,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a news release regarding the arrest.
On March 10, US authorities corresponded with 60 academic institutions, including Columbia, informing them of an investigation concerning “antisemitic harassment and discrimination” and cautioning them of impending legal actions if they fail to “protect Jewish students.” The letter also threatened further funding reductions. In response, Columbia announced that it had expelled, suspended, or revoked degrees of students involved in the Hamilton Hall occupation.
As the deadline approached for Columbia to fulfill the remaining governmental demands on Friday night, the university dispatched a new memo to the US administration, indicating its agreement to the terms. Critics argue that this action may significantly undermine academic freedom and the right to free speech in the US.
What commitments has Columbia made?
In its memo to the Trump administration on Friday night, Columbia University outlined the new protocols and policies that will now govern its campus and laid out plans for reforming its disciplinary processes.
Face masks will be prohibited, protesters will need to identify themselves, security officers with arrest powers will be designated, and departments offering courses related to the Middle East will be evaluated and supervised by a new senior provost.
The Trump administration had insisted that the university place the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department under “academic receivership” for five years—an action that can be taken by a university’s administration to assume control of a department considered dysfunctional.
In the memo, the university stated: “All of these measures have been underway and are intended to further Columbia’s fundamental mission: to create a safe and thriving environment for research and education while maintaining our commitment to academic freedom and institutional integrity.”
Leading up to the Friday deadline to comply with the government’s demands, US media reported that Columbia’s trustees had been convening privately for several days, with some members expressing profound concern that the university is compromising its moral authority and academic independence for federal funding, while others argued that the institution has limited choices, according to The Wall Street Journal.
However, meeting the demands does not guarantee the restoration of federal funds. The Trump administration stated that fulfilling its conditions was merely a “precondition for formal negotiations.”
NEW letter to Columbia from Trump admin lists demands for “continued financial relationship” with the US government”:
—Suspend or expel students for Hamilton Hall protest
—“Time, place, and manner rules”
—Mask ban
—Address “anti-Zionist” discrimination
—Reform admissions
—MORE pic.twitter.com/djCc31Vq2Q— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) March 14, 2025
Responses from activists and academics
Critics assert that the government’s demands extend far beyond standard compliance or conduct policies, and effectively aim to suppress pro-Palestinian voices.
Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), stated that these conditions represent an attempt to exert political control over university operations, curricula, and speaker permissions.
She highlighted the risks of such federal overreach, positing that Columbia’s acquiescence to these demands would “set a dreadful precedent and undermine academic freedom across the US.”
“Never before in US history have we witnessed such an unabashed assault on American civil society, including our constitutional freedoms and protections,” Whitson told Al Jazeera.
According to her, the worst course of action for universities now is to “remain silent, thinking they won’t be next.” Compliance with the government’s demands “will pave the way for identical actions against every other university in the nation,” she added.
She asserted that the future of academic discourse is now in jeopardy.
“The main goal of these assaults is to silence not just speech but even the study of Palestinian rights and history,” she declared. “It aims to create an environment where universities can only teach content deemed acceptable by a particular administration.”
Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a US policy fellow at Al-Shabaka: The Palestine Policy Network, referred to the administration’s actions as “absurd,” asserting that the university is “essentially bartering away its legitimacy and autonomy as an academic institution.”
“For an administration that purports to be committed to diminishing the federal government’s influence in the private affairs of everything from universities to women’s bodies, this interference in university conduct exemplifies authoritarian overreach,” Kenney-Shawa told Al Jazeera.
He contended that the Trump administration and its pro-Israel supporters are “losing the argument about Israel” on college campuses and are resorting to a strategy of silencing discussions entirely.
“There is no doubt that Trump is implementing a framework for using against anyone who challenges his far-right agenda,” he remarked. “However, it’s imperative to note that this specifically targets those advocating for Palestinian rights and criticizing Israel.”
Professor Jonathan Zimmerman, a Columbia alumnus and now a historian of education at the University of Pennsylvania, remarked to Reuters that it marked “a disheartening day for the university.” He stated: “Historically, there is no precedent for this. The government is using funding as a means to micromanage a university.”
Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, asserted that this move constitutes “undoubtedly the most significant incursion into academic freedom, freedom of speech, and institutional autonomy we’ve witnessed since the McCarthy era. It establishes a troubling precedent.”
Are students at risk of deportation?
The government is indeed making efforts in this direction, but it will undoubtedly face legal challenges.
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced of ICE agents appearing on campus, causing unease among students. Advocacy groups argue that the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil is part of a broader pattern targeting protesters. Khalil, who is a permanent resident of the US, was taken into immigration detention and later moved from New York to Louisiana. The Trump administration intends to revoke his green card.
Khalil has initiated a legal challenge, asserting that the push for his deportation infringes upon his rights to free speech and due process, both of which are safeguarded by the US Constitution. A federal court recently dismissed Trump’s attempt to have the case thrown out.
“These are serious allegations and arguments that indeed warrant careful judicial review; the fundamental constitutional principle guarantees that all individuals in the United States are entitled to due process of law,” judged Jesse Fruman stated in his ruling.
Last week, a second Columbia University student protester, Leqaa Kordia, was arrested and charged with overstaying her F-1 student visa. She was apprehended by ICE agents and faces deportation. Another foreign student, Ranjani Srinivasan from India, had her student visa revoked due to her involvement in activities “supporting Hamas,” a misspelling of the Palestinian group Hamas.
Earlier this week, government agents apprehended Badar Khan Suri, an Indian postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. He is being detained in Louisiana for deportation for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism” on social media, according to Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown specializing in Palestinian-Israeli relations, observed that enforcement efforts seem to be entering “a quagmire with this case,” extending beyond mere protest activities.
“This individual appears to have been targeted not for his activism,” he noted, “but simply for being suspected of holding specific views.”
Legal initiatives are underway to prevent universities from sharing student information with the government.
Earlier this week, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York granted the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)’s request for a legal injunction prohibiting Columbia from disclosing student information to federal agencies without due process. This ruling comes amid escalating concerns that universities may be coerced into providing sensitive data about students, particularly those from Muslim or Arab backgrounds.
