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The Trump administration praised Columbia University's swift response to protesters who had disrupted and vandalized a central library Wednesday, saying the school's acting president "met the moment with fortitude and conviction."
New York police arrested about 80 people after masked protesters rushed into the library, unfurling banners, shouting into megaphones and banging drums in the midst of a reading room full of people studying for final exams Wednesday. Nine hundred students were forced out, and two campus public safety officers were injured in the chaos, according to the school's acting president, Claire Shipman.
"There is a clear line between legitimate protest and actions that endanger others and disrupt the fundamental work of the university," Shipman said in a video shared on social media. "Today that line was crossed, and I have confidence the disciplinary proceedings will reflect the severity of the actions."
The Trump administration's antisemitism task force - which has threatened billions of dollars in research funding at Columbia and other universities - praised Shipman's "strong and resolute statement regarding the unlawful, violent and disgraceful takeover of Butler Library."
The words come at a charged moment for the Ivy League school, which once again is at the center of political tensions around protests over the Israel-Gaza war. The pressure is even more intense than last year, when protests at the school spurred demonstrations nationwide. This year, Columbia is in negotiations with the Trump administration over funding after federal officials singled out the school, announcing $400 million in research funding cuts because they said Columbia had failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination. Federal immigration officers have also sought and detained international students involved in earlier protests at Columbia - including some with green cards - whom the administration has threatened to deport, alleging they are "pro-Hamas."
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X, "We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University's library. Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation."
On Thursday, the task force said Shipman had stepped in to lead the school at a critical juncture. "We concur with Acting President Shipman that what happened was utterly unacceptable, which is precisely why the American people are demanding that the administration act to implement meaningful and enforceable commitments to enforce civil rights laws with institutions that receive taxpayer dollars," the task force wrote.
A prominent alumni group also applauded Shipman's swift action. Order was restored, the Stand Columbia Society wrote on X. "Accountability is coming."
It was a high-profile test for the acting president, the school's fourth leader in less than two years.
Shipman had been co-chair of the board of trustees until the abrupt departure of interim school president Katrina Armstrong in March. Armstrong had been leading the school since Minouche Shafik stepped down amid intense criticism of how she had handled the protests.
Shipman also said Thursday morning that Butler Library had reopened, with the reading room cleaned and restored by an overnight crew, sharing a photo of the high-ceilinged space looking pristine.
The day before, people had posted photos of demonstrators writing on bookshelves and pictures hanging in the library with slogans such as "Columbia will burn 4 the martyrs."
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, one of the pro-Palestinian protest groups on campus, said in an email Wednesday that people had "liberated" the library. The group has used more extreme rhetoric this year than last, including praising the leadership of Hamas, Hezbollah and Ansar Allah, all groups designated by the United States as terrorist organizations. On social media Wednesday, the group posted, "Long live the Student Intifada!"
The group's demands included divestment, banning police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from the campus, and amnesty for protesters facing university discipline. They also spoke out about two of last year's protesters who face deportation. "The university administration has unilaterally complied with the kidnappings of our comrades Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi and has freely allowed [Department of Homeland Security] agents to roam through campus and student dorms," the group posted.
The campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors said the Trump administration's demand for "ever more draconian crackdowns on student protest" had led the university to grant more power to campus public safety officers that had not prevented New York police from being summoned Wednesday.
"The tragic events of last night illustrate the countervailing and urgent need for developing consultation protocols and mediation strategies that mitigate harm during protests, facilitate informed and balanced reporting, and ensure due process for all parties," they wrote.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized Columbia's decision to call the police on protesters.
"By quickly calling in the NYPD to round up students holding a peaceful sit-in, Columbia University just showed that it has not learned anything from the anti-genocide protests it brutally dispersed last school year or the anti-Vietnam and anti-racism protests that it dispersed on campus 50 years ago," he said. "It is long past time for Columbia to respectfully engage with peacefully protesting students instead of calling in the police to brutalize them."
A New York Police Department spokesman said protesters were given verbal warnings to disperse before being taken into custody Wednesday evening. All were later released but must appear in court. The officer did not have details on whether any protesters were injured.
Shipman said they had "no choice" but to call in police. She described witnessing disturbing scenes at the library. "I arrived to see one of our public safety officers wheeled out on a gurney and another getting bandaged. As I left hours later, I walked through the reading room, one of the many jewels of Butler Library, and I saw it defaced and damaged in disturbing ways and with disturbing slogans. Violence and vandalism, hijacking a library - none of that has any place on our campus. These aren't Columbia's values."
She also said, "I am deeply disturbed at the idea that, at a moment when our international community feels particularly vulnerable, a small group of students would choose to make our institution a target."