The Trump administration has detained a second student protester and issued an ultimatum to Columbia University, demanding it relinquish control over an academic department.

Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly overstaying her F-1 visa. Another foreign student, Ranjani Srinivasan from India, had her visa revoked for purported ties to Hamas. Critics argue these actions equate campus demonstrations with terrorism.

The administration has also ordered Columbia to place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department under external control by March 20 or risk federal funding cuts. Other demands include abolishing the university’s judicial board and enforcing a campus mask ban.

Trump, having pledged to deport foreign students engaged in protests, has acted swiftly since his second term began. Federal grants worth $400 million to Columbia were revoked, with officials citing rising antisemitism. Activists accuse Trump of using hate crime concerns as a pretext for political suppression.

Meanwhile, civil rights groups warn that these measures trample on free speech. Reports suggest federal agents are now searching Columbia dorms, raising fears of further crackdowns. Critics, including the ACLU, argue that immigrants retain free speech protections and that such arrests set a dangerous precedent.

As students and advocates rally in defiance, Trump remains firm, threatening further expulsions, arrests, and funding cuts for any university allowing “illegal protests.”