Columbia University protests lead to immigration arrests

Federal immigration officials have arrested a second participant in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student, was detained for overstaying her visa, which was revoked in January 2022 due to lack of attendance. Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student, also had her visa revoked for allegedly advocating violence. She chose to leave the U.S. voluntarily after her visa was canceled. Immigration officials have indicated more visa revocations may follow. The situation escalated after the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent activist, who was transported to Louisiana under controversial circumstances. His lawyers claim he was treated poorly and have filed a lawsuit seeking his release.