Special Investigations

Press Freedom Defense Fund

Columbia University: Federal Agents “Made Misrepresentations” to Enter Building and Detain Student

The school president advised Columbia community members to not let federal agents into non-public areas of the campus.

Federal agents detained a Columbia University student at university housing early on Thursday morning, according interim Columbia President Claire Shipman.

In an email to the university community that was obtained by The Intercept, Shipman said that agents with the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia residential housing building and detained the student, who has not been publicly identified, at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.

“​​Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person,’” Shipman said in her email.

Shipman implored members of the university community to not let unidentified people into campus buildings without a judicial warrant.

“​​It is important to reiterate that all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University, including housing,” Shipman wrote. “An administrative warrant is not sufficient.”

ICE Duped a Federal Judge Into Allowing Raid on Columbia Student Dorms

The Department of Homeland Security, New York Police Department, City Hall, and Shipman’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

IT’S EVEN WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.

What we’re seeing right now from Donald Trump is a full-on authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government. 

This is not hyperbole.

Court orders are being ignored. MAGA loyalists have been put in charge of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of its power of the purse. News outlets that challenge Trump have been banished or put under investigation.

Yet far too many are still covering Trump’s assault on democracy like politics as usual, with flattering headlines describing Trump as “unconventional,” “testing the boundaries,” and “aggressively flexing power.” 

The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. We understand the challenge we face in Trump and the vital importance of press freedom in defending democracy.

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IT’S BEEN A DEVASTATING year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.

We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.

In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.

That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?

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I’M BEN MUESSIG, The Intercept’s editor-in-chief. It’s been a devastating year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.

We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.

In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.

That’s where you come in. Will you help us expand our reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026?

We’re independent of corporate interests. Will you help us?

Google Fulfilled ICE Subpoena Demanding Student Journalist’s Bank and Credit Card Numbers

“Terrorist”: How ICE Weaponized 9/11’s Scarlet Letter

Mohsen Mahdawi Faces Conservative Judges as Trump Administration Tries to Lock Him Back Up

ICE Got Warrants Under “False Pretenses,” Claims Columbia Student Targeted Over Gaza Protests

Private Prison Falsified Records in Detainee’s Death in ICE Custody

Investigators found GEO Group staff falsely logged visits and failed to meet ICE standards on the morning of a detainee’s death in custody.

Florida Might Make Its Own Spy Squad. Muslims Think They Have a Pretty Good Idea Who’ll Be Targeted.

An Israeli spyware firm is tracking the GOP legislation, according to lobbying disclosures.

Cuban Border Guards Attacked by Florida Speedboat

Eschewing a U.S.-style double-tap strike, the Cuban government rescued survivors.

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