Columbia students involved in pro-Palestine protest banned from campus
A source told The Telegraph that 56 or more of the 70 students involved in the incident would not be allowed to return.
The bans will last for between one and three years, the New York Post said.
All 70 students involved in the unrest were formally disciplined on Monday, it is understood. Some of them had their degrees revoked or were permanently expelled, according to a statement on the university's website.
The incident took place in May, with masked and hooded protesters swarming the New York-based university's library and refusing to leave.
At the time, authorities said 80 protesters were arrested with those involved facing up to three months in jail. Columbia alumni and students from other universities were among those detained.
Two campus public safety officers were injured as the demonstrators forced their way into the Butler Library, where students were revising ahead of their final exams before the summer break.
Protesters were demanding an amnesty for students facing disciplinary action after last summer's protests.
They also demanded the release of activists facing deportation including Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, who was arrested and detained by ICE agents in March and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana.
Mr Khalil has since been released.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said those on student visas are facing deportation. Students involved in similar demonstrations have previously been suspended or had their degrees revoked.
The university, one of the most prestigious in the US, called police after protesters refused to leave. The university took around five hours to call in the police report, according to Fox News.
In spite of the delay, the Trump administration praised the university's acting president for meeting the moment 'with fortitude and conviction'.
The move came in stark contrast to the university's handling of pro-Palestinian protests in the summer, when a pro-Gaza encampment remained in place for more than six weeks.
The university is currently trying to come to an agreement with President Donald Trump and his team to restore government funding, after the president withheld $400m in federal grants.
The money was kept back amid concerns by the White House over Columbia's handling of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel sentiment on campus.
'Violations will generate consequences'
In March, Columbia was accused by the Trump administration of 'continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students'.
In a statement regarding the sanctioning of students involved in the library incident, a Columbia University spokesperson said: 'Immediately following the disruption at Butler Library during reading period, which affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension... Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community.
'And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules.
'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of university policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes.'
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