Columbia University Expels Students Over Pro-Palestinian Protests Amid Trump Crackdown
Columbia University expelled nearly 80 students for pro-Palestinian protests, aiming to restore $400 million in federal funding.
Columbia University announced sweeping disciplinary actions against students involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus, suspending or expelling nearly 80 individuals as the Ivy League school faces mounting pressure from the Donald Trump administration over its handling of campus dissent.
The university said in a statement that the punishments- ranging from probation and suspensions of one to three years to full expulsions and degree revocations- stem from student participation in a demonstration inside the school's Butler Library ahead of final exams in May and an encampment staged during alumni weekend last year.
The disciplinary measures were handed down by a university judicial board but Columbia did not release the names of those sanctioned as the institution noted that the actions were taken for 'violations of University policies and Rules" that disrupted academic activities.
Student activist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest criticized the decision as excessive and politically motivated, saying, 'We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation."
Meanwhile, the university maintained that it is committed to protecting academic freedom and expression but emphasized that demonstrations must not interfere with its core mission.
'To create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work," it said.
The crackdown comes as Columbia is locked in negotiations with the Donald Trump administration to restore roughly $400 million in federal funding that was pulled in March. The White House accused Columbia of failing to prevent antisemitic incidents on campus, particularly during the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that surged nationwide in spring 2024.
Columbia agreed to several of the administration's demands in an effort to regain funding- including overhauling its student disciplinary system and adopting a revised definition of antisemitism. In May, Columbia announced it would lay off nearly 180 staff members and cut back on research programs citing the loss of federal contracts and grants.
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July 23, 2025, 21:06 IST
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