Nearly 80 Columbia University students face expulsion, suspension (one to three years), or degree revocation for participating in pro-Palestinian protests in May 2024 and May 2025. The protests, including a May 7, 2025 occupation of Butler Library and a May 31, 2024 encampment, involved calls for the university to divest from companies linked to the Israeli military and sever ties with Israel. The university cited disruptions to academic activities as justification. Student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) condemned the actions, characterizing the suspensions as an "honor" and rejecting the university's reputation. Mahmoud Khalil, a protest leader facing deportation, met with lawmakers on the same day the punishments were announced.

The disciplinary actions follow the Trump administration's withholding of approximately $400 million in funding from Columbia, citing inadequate response to anti-Semitism during the protests. Columbia subsequently agreed to demands including banning face masks and empowering campus police, prompting accusations from student organizers of a broader effort to suppress pro-Palestinian activism. The administration's actions reflect a wider crackdown targeting over 50 universities, freezing federal research grants and threatening to revoke tax-exempt status or accreditation, with similar actions taken against Harvard University.

Impact Statement: The mass punishment of students at Columbia University and the broader Trump administration crackdown on universities over pro-Palestinian activism have significant implications for free speech on campuses and the relationship between the government and higher education institutions.