NEW YORK — The Department of Homeland Security raided the dorm rooms of two Columbia University students on Thursday night, just days after authorities detained a prominent pro-Palestinian activist in university housing.

In an email, Interim President Katrina Armstrong wrote that she was “heartbroken” to inform students and faculty of the federal agents’ visit. The students were not arrested or detained, she said. As of Friday morning, no further action had been taken.

“The University has a clear protocol in place,” Armstrong wrote, linking to guidance on “Potential Visits to Campus By U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents.”

“Consistent with this protocol, our longstanding practice, and the practices of cities and institutions throughout the country, the University requires that law enforcement have a judicial warrant to enter non-public University areas, including residential University buildings. Tonight, that threshold was met.”

An hour after Armstrong’s email, protesters vandalized the university president’s mansion on Morningside Park with splattered red paint and the black spray-painted message: “Free Them All,” cops said.

It was not clear not clear if Armstrong was inside the building when the vandalism happened. There were no arrests.

The Trump administration had previously put Columbia on notice for not helping DHS arrest college students it accused of supporting Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

“Columbia University has been given the names of other individuals who have engaged in pro-Hamas activity,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Tuesday, “and they are refusing to help DHS identify those individuals on campus.”

“We expect all [of] America’s colleges and universities to comply with this administration’s policy.”

DHS and ICE did not immediately return a request for comment.

The announcement of DHS on campus came after ICE on March 8 arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a recent international-studies graduate student and green card-holder, in his university-owned residence. The Trump administration has accused Khalil of leading activities aligned with Hamas. He has not been charged with any crime.

Armstrong’s emphasis on Columbia’s “longstanding practice” followed revelations of a letter from the Trump administration outlining steps the university should take to restore$400 million in canceled federal grants and contracts. Among other measures, three agencies directed Columbia to discipline protesters involved in last year’s demonstrations.

“The University must complete disciplinary proceedings for Hamilton Hall and encampments,” read the memo from Thursday, obtained by the Daily News. “Meaningful discipline means expulsion or multi-year suspension.”

The federal administration also directed Columbia to implement a mask ban with exceptions for health reasons, the placement of the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under receivership, and “comprehensive admissions reform” of Columbia’s recruitment of international students.

The same day, Columbia announced the expulsions of several protesters involved in the building takeover.

Students organized two protests for Friday afternoon.

©2025 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.