Mystery swirls as Columbia University student handcuffed by people claiming to be federal agents

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Sep 10, 2025

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NEW YORK — A Columbia University graduate student was briefly detained and handcuffed by several people claiming to be federal agents near the Manhattanville campus, though it is unclear who they actually were.

In a university-wide email Tuesday, Acting President Claire Shipman said the individuals did not provide clear identification to the student, who was later released. It was not immediately clear how long the student was detained or whether they were the feds or not.

“This incident is deeply disturbing, and the University is working to obtain additional details, including any video evidence to share with local law enforcement,” Shipman wrote.

The NYPD said they were not called to respond, though a Columbia spokesperson said the school “immediately contacted the local NYPD precinct to make them aware of the situation.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a request for comment. The incident was first reported by student newspaper the Columbia Spectator.

The Manhattanville campus is situated some blocks north of the college’s main presence in Morningside Heights and is home to a number of graduate school buildings, such as Columbia Business School and the Jerome L. Greene Science Center.

The student is receiving support from Columbia, according to the email. Shipman urged other students to familiarize themselves with the school’s public safety resources, including a shuttle service and patrols, and how to access them in case of an emergency.

The college president also re-circulated Columbia’s protocols for interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

Several high-profile incidents have left Columbia students on edge about the potential presence of federal agents on campus.

Last school year, plainclothes immigration authorities entered a Columbia-owned apartment and detained Palestinian activist and graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who had been a leader in the spring 2024 campus protests. Khalil was freed from a Louisiana detention center over the summer as he continues to battle his deportation.

Weeks later, federal agents served college officials with judicial warrants to search two residential halls, including the dorm room of Columbia senior Yunseo Chung. Both Khalil and Chung are green card holders; Chung sued to block her immigration arrest.

No corroborated reports of federal agent impersonators have been made public at Columbia, though national Democrats argue ICE agents’ use of face masks has made it harder to recognize enforcement activity as real or a hoax. Earlier this year, people impersonating ICE officers attempted to enter a Temple University residence hall in Pennsylvania.

— With Rocco Parascandola