A separate Homeland Security probe is looking into whether the university is shielding illegal immigrants.
The Department of Justice said it is investigating recent events at Columbia University for potential terrorism offenses during campus events protesting the Israel–Hamas war.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Friday that the department is looking at whether Columbia violated civil rights and anti-terrorism laws in its handling of the protests, which erupted in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
The protest reached its peak last spring when anti-Israel activists established an encampment in a central quad and later occupied a university building. Columbia’s president ultimately stepped down after months of intense backlash and accusations that she failed to address widespread anti-Semitism on campus.
In a speech to the DOJ, Blanche said the investigation was part of President Donald Trump’s “mission to end anti-Semitism in this country” and an action “long overdue.”
“Let me be clear: Hamas is a terrorist organization. It has the blood of American citizens on its hands,” Blanche said. “Any person engaging in the material support of terrorism will be prosecuted. This includes those who threaten acts of violence on behalf of Hamas in the United States or even pay Hamas in the United States.”
Blanche also mentioned a separate investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into whether Columbia was shielding foreign nationals illegally remaining in the country.
“Just last night, we worked with the Department of Homeland Security to execute search warrants from an investigation into Columbia University for harboring and concealing illegal aliens on its campus,” Blanche said. “That investigation is ongoing, and we are also looking at whether Columbia’s handling of earlier incidents violated civil rights laws and included terrorism crimes.”
Columbia University confirmed the searches. In a campus-wide message on Thursday, Interim President Katrina Armstrong stated that DHS agents executed two judicial search warrants, signed by a federal magistrate judge, to inspect two student residences owned by the university. No arrests were made, and no items were removed.
By Bill Pan
