Columbia University acting president booed during graduation speech

Dozens successful custody aft protests astatine Columbia

Dozens taken into custody aft protests astatine Columbia University against warfare successful Gaza 02:15

Columbia University acting President Claire Shipman was greeted with boos and chants of "free Mahmoud" arsenic she took the lectern to talk astatine the school's graduation ceremonial connected Tuesday.

Videos posted to societal media showed Shipman pausing portion students heckled her earlier she could statesman speaking.

"I cognize that galore of you consciousness immoderate magnitude of vexation with maine and I cognize you consciousness it with the administration. And I cognize that we person a strong, beardown contented of escaped code astatine this university. And I americium ever unfastened to feedback, which I americium getting close now," Shipman said astatine the commencement of her remarks, allowing for different circular of boos aft each sentence.

Later successful her speech, Shipman was interrupted by students chanting "free Mahmoud," successful notation to Mahmoud Khalil, a postgraduate pupil who was detained by migration authorities successful March successful New York City and remains successful custody successful Louisiana. 

Khalil, a Syrian-born migrant with ineligible U.S. imperishable residency — besides known arsenic a green card —  was a vocal subordinate of the student-led protests astatine Columbia against the warfare successful Gaza. Khalil has not been accused of immoderate crimes, but the Trump medication has argued helium should beryllium deported connected the grounds that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has determined his beingness successful the U.S. and protestation activities airs "adverse overseas argumentation consequences." The medication has besides accused Khalil of migration fraud. His lawyers quality some claims.

An migration justice successful Louisiana ruled past period that the medication could continue its effort to deport Khalil, saying she did not person the authorization to quality Rubio's determination, which cites a seldom utilized law. She enactment the migration fraud accusation connected hold, however. A abstracted lawsuit is progressing successful New Jersey, successful which lawyers person challenged the legality of Khalil's detention.

Khalil is among respective assemblage students who person been detained oregon had their visas revoked amid the Trump administration's crackdown connected what it says are antisemitic oregon pro-Hamas activities. Civil rights groups person criticized the moves, accusing the authorities of punishing students for their governmental beliefs and violating their First Amendment rights.

Among those targeted by the medication was Mohsen Mahdawi, a 34-year-old ineligible U.S. nonmigratory who was detained successful mid-April during a citizenship interrogation successful Vermont. He was released on April 30 aft a Vermont national justice ruled Mahdawi was apt being punished for protected speech.

Mahdawi graduated from Columbia connected Monday, wearing a keffiyeh and displaying the scales of justness connected his ceremonial headdress arsenic helium accepted his diploma. Prior to the ceremony, helium told CBS News helium felt a "mix of emotions," including a "feeling of being victorious." He said helium plans to instrumentality to the schoolhouse to prosecute a postgraduate degree. 

Shipman has been acting president of Columbia since precocious March, erstwhile she took implicit for interim President Katrina Armstrong, who herself had taken over when erstwhile assemblage president Dr. Minouche Shafik resigned following criticism of her handling of the protests implicit the Israel-Hamas war and allegations of antisemitism connected campus.

In:
• Protests
• Columbia University

Caitlin Yilek, Joe Walsh, Lilia Luciano and Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.