On March 20, 2025, a federal judge ordered Columbia University to refrain from sharing student disciplinary records of pro-Palestinian protesters with a House of Representatives committee. On April 4, 2025, it was ruled that Columbia must give students a 30 days’ advance notice before handing over any additional documents to Congress.

But on July 24, 2025, Columbia University struck a corrupt deal with the Trump administration in order to reacquire its federal funding, promising to provide the government information on disciplinary actions involving student-visa holders upon request.

In recent months, the Trump administration has increasingly weaponized ICE (U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) and a strict anti-immigration policy to suppress free speech on college campuses across the nation, detaining pro-Palestinian student protesters with no due process.

As part of the campaign, the Trump administration has: detained students like Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, Rumeysa Öztürk, and Yunseo Chung; revoked nearly 1,700 visas held by students Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrongfully designated as “Hamas supporters”; and created a team on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate student protesters listed on a doxxing website.

The refusal of these universities to challenge ICE or the Trump administration exacerbates the issue further. Collaboration with the Trump administration to share student disciplinary records is particularly egregious--and a clear violation of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) --which is why we are calling on the New York State Assembly and Senate to address this issue and outlaw sharing this information without student consent.

Keep ICE’s hands off of students.