She is back home now, and Acting President Claire Shipman rightfully spoke out against the kidnapping. But where was she when students were protesting for a free Palestine? Where was she when scholars nurturing their minds said to stop the genocide? Oh, I remember. She was giving the green light for SWAT to raid, terrorize, and brutalize the students exercising their First Amendment rights.
Her words might seem to come from a place of strength and integrity, but do not be fooled. She is the same side of the coin. She would no sooner have all of this go away, do damage control, and move on. Her position on Palestine and the treatment of the students of Columbia must not be forgotten. There is one simple truth that cannot be ignored.
You cannot just support one or the other. The plights of migrants and Palestinians cross paths in so many ways, from the humiliation and terror to the violent raids. Hell, ICE is trained by Israel. Their leaders go there to learn exactly how to raid and terrorize migrants.
February twenty fifth read ordinary on the feed. Ten hours in the Columbia library, hitting the books and dropping video proof of the grind. But morning arrived with different teeth, because the gears grind all the same. At six thirty, five Homeland Security agents showed up at her residence door. They claimed they were looking for a missing child and showed photos just to clear entry. No warrant shown. They reached her apartment and they took her.
This is exactly what I mean when I say they will weaponize these agencies against us. It is an insidious new tool they use to bypass the law, hiding behind lies to stoke the witch hunts of the past. It begs the question, how did this happen in the first place? No matter what walk of life you come from, everyone is a target. No one is illegal on stolen land. Be smart, stay safe, and protect those you love because the state and the klan are burning crosses hand in hand.
The signal moved fast and the students gathered. While the university leadership was busy doing damage control over agents lying to get into the building, Mayor Mamdani stepped up. In a true moment of strength, Mamdani reached right across the aisle directly to President Trump to protect his constituent.
He was already at the White House for a meeting when the news of the raid broke, and he did not hesitate to bring it straight to the top. He confronted the president about the deceptive tactics used by ICE and the trauma of a student being snatched from her home. He forced the issue and built the pressure along the line until they had no choice but to let her go.
By the afternoon she walked free. She is safe and okay in an Uber heading home, but the shock is still settling. DHS tried to hold their position, dragging up a terminated visa from two thousand sixteen just to justify this violent disruption of a life she spent years building studying neuroscience and political science at Columbia. But the truth remains clear. They bypassed the law and used lies to snatch a student right out of her home.
The system will always try to break you. They can hide behind their phones and devices stoking witch hunts of the past and McCarthyism.
Everyone is a target, regardless of where you come from. Whether you are an activist or an influencer, the gears grind all the same, which begs the question: how did this happen in the first place? We already know—and I know personally—that people can and will weaponize ICE.
Be smart, stay safe, and protect those you love, because the state and the Klan are burning crosses hand in hand.
