Identity of Speakers
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Protesters
Faculty/Staff
Other
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Rally or Protests
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
On February 5, 2026, students, faculty members, and supporters gathered outside Columbia University to protest federal immigration enforcement policies and demand that the university declare itself a sanctuary campus. Demonstrators organized a sit in that blocked traffic near campus entrances for several hours in cold weather, drew more than one hundred participants, and resulted in twelve arrests. Protesters carried signs and banners, wore shirts reading Sanctuary Campus Now, chanted slogans opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and distributed flyers calling on university leadership to provide stronger protections for undocumented and international students and to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
New York Police Department officers issued repeated warnings for demonstrators to clear the street and reopen traffic lanes. When protesters remained in the roadway, officers moved in and arrested twelve people, including Columbia students and faculty members, on charges including disorderly conduct and obstruction. Video and eyewitness accounts showed officers placing demonstrators in zip ties and escorting them to police vehicles as other protesters continued chanting nearby.
Columbia University stated that immigration authorities must present judicial warrants to enter nonpublic areas of campus and said university leadership had not invited federal immigration agents onto campus. The university also said it supports peaceful protest but disputed claims that it cooperates with immigration enforcement in ways that endanger students.
Protest organizers said the demonstration sought to pressure the administration to publicly commit to sanctuary policies and protect students affected by immigration enforcement actions, pointing to recent controversial immigration operations, including fatal encounters involving federal agents and U.S. citizens that prompted protests and intensified scrutiny of enforcement tactics nationwide.
