columbia university

The officials said in a letter the "public interest demands transparency and accountability."

Agents are permitted to use "ruses" in enforcement actions, but they can bump up against constitutional protections.

Mamdani said Thursday that President Trump assured him that a Columbia University student detained earlier in the day “will be released imminently.”

The pro-Palestinian protest leader has been in federal detention since March.

He spent more than two weeks in federal detention before a federal judge ordered his release.

The job losses come as the Trump administration seeks to exert greater influence over higher education.

In ordering the release of the pro-Palestinian student activist, the judge harkened back to the Red Scare.

The student leader championed peace in Israel and Gaza and pushed back at antisemitism on campus, according to close associates.

The judge said she had no authority to challenge the secretary of state's determination that Khalil should be removed.

The secretary of state said allowing the protest leader to remain would "undermine U.S. policy to combat anti-Semitism around the world."