Senator Marco Rubio said Wednesday that his office is reviewing the visa status of foreign students involved in the Gaza solidarity sit-in at Columbia University, following the NYPD's arrest of around 75 protesters.
We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 8, 2025
Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.
The protest, organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, saw about 100 demonstrators occupy the university’s Butler Library, demanding divestment from what they called “Zionist occupation, apartheid, and genocide.” Protesters forced their way past security and into the main reading room, prompting the university to call in police.
At the direct request of Columbia University, the NYPD is responding to an ongoing situation on campus where individuals have occupied a library and are trespassing.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 7, 2025
Columbia administrators condemned the disruption as “completely unacceptable,” especially during final exams, in a statement. The protest adds to the growing national debate over pro-Palestinian activism, campus free speech, and foreign student involvement in political demonstrations.
