80 arrested after protesters storm Columbia library, feds reviewing participants' visas

Police arrested 80 people after masked pro-Palestinian protesters flooded into Columbia University’s main library Wednesday afternoon, pushing past security and occupying a reading room, NYPD and school officials said.

The group forced its way into Room 301 of Butler Library shortly after 3 p.m., according to university officials, who said Columbia’s Public Safety team responded and later requested assistance from the NYPD. Two campus safety officers were injured as people tried to push into the room, university leaders said.

Video posted to social media shows demonstrators, some wearing kaffiyehs, overpowering a guard at the library’s entrance as they entered en masse. Another video posted to social media shows masked protesters chanting inside the reading room as students look on.

By Wednesday evening, several protesters were seen being detained by Columbia Public Safety officers outside the library.

An NYPD spokesperson said Thursday that 78 of those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing and were issued desk appearance tickets. Two others were issued court summonses, one for walking on the roadway with a sidewalk available, and another for disorderly conduct.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that federal officials were "reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library." Similar efforts by the Trump administration in recent months have faced court challenges.

"Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation," Rubio said.

In a statement Wednesday, a university spokesperson said the protesters were warned that failure to comply with campus rules and leave the premises could result in disciplinary action or arrest.

Millie Wert, the university spokesperson, called the demonstration “completely unacceptable,” particularly during final exam season.

Columbia University said it requested NYPD assistance to help secure the building, citing safety hazards posed by a growing crowd and what it described as a “significant presence” of individuals not affiliated with the school. Acting President Claire Shipman said the decision was “absolutely necessary to secure the safety of our community.”

Shipman said two campus public safety officers were injured during a “crowd surge” as people attempted to force their way into the building and Room 301. She called the actions “outrageous” and reiterated that “disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated.”

“These actions not only represented a violation of University policies, but they also posed a serious risk to our students and campus safety,” she said in a subsequent video statement. “Violence and vandalism, hijacking a library — none of that has any place on our campus. These aren’t Columbia’s values.”

Shipman added that the reading room was “defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing slogans,” though she did not specify how. She also said the university did not yet know if “outsiders” were involved, and most participants refused to identify themselves.

“There is a clear line between legitimate protest and actions that endanger others and disrupt the fundamental work of the University,” she said. “Today that line was crossed, and I have confidence the disciplinary proceedings will reflect the severity of the actions.”

In a Substack post, organizers with Columbia University Apartheid Divest said they renamed Butler Library after Palestinian activist Basel al-Araj and described the occupation as part of a broader campaign to disrupt what they called Columbia’s “profits and legitimacy” tied to imperialist violence.

The protest sparked swift reactions from state and city leaders.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the situation and thanked public safety officials “for keeping students safe.”

“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest,” Hochul said in a post on X. “But violence, vandalism or destruction of property are completely unacceptable.”

Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement Wednesday night saying the NYPD was entering Columbia’s campus “at the written request” of the university to remove individuals accused of trespassing.

“New York City will always defend the right to peaceful protest, but we will never tolerate lawlessness,” Adams said.

He urged parents of student protesters to “call your children and make clear that breaking the law is wrong,” and warned non-students protesting on campus to leave or risk arrest.

“We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city,” he added.

Similar pro-Palestinian demonstrations drew national attention last year, when students pitched tents on the same part of campus in a sustained protest over the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Wednesday's protest unfolded just weeks after federal immigration officials targeted Columbia students for deportation over their pro-Palestinian activism, including senior Mohsen Mahdawi and recent graduate Mahmoud Khalil, both of whom were detained in high-profile cases drawing national scrutiny.

The protest echoed a similar confrontation last year, when NYPD officers in riot gear cleared an encampment as well as an occupied building on Columbia’s campus, arresting dozens of demonstrators at the university’s request.

Earlier this week, Columbia announced it would lay off 180 staffers whose salaries were tied to federal research grants revoked by the Trump administration as part of an ongoing standoff over accusations that the university has failed to combat antisemitism on campus.

Andrew Giambrone contributed reporting. This story has been updated with additional information.