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Columbia University leaders face scrutiny over anti-Semitism on campus
Leaders from Columbia University have appeared before a committee in the United States Congress to face questions about alleged instances of anti-Semitism on campus.
The hearing was a sequel of sorts to a similar panel held in December, featuring the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
But on Wednesday, Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik sought to avoid the same pitfalls that made the previous hearing go viral.
She pledged firm action to combat anti-Semitism, even engaging in discussions about specific Columbia professors and disciplinary measures during the hearing.
“We have already suspended 15 students from Columbia. We have six on disciplinary probation,” Shafik said, laying out her actions before the Committee on Education and the Workforce, part of the House of Representatives.
“These are more disciplinary actions that have been taken probably in the last decade at Columbia. And I promise you, from the messages I’m hearing from students, they are getting the message that violations of our policies will have consequences.”
Still, Republicans on the committee sought to hold Columbia University to account for what they considered failures since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7.
On that date, the Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing upwards of 1,000 people. In the subsequent war, Israeli attacks in Gaza killed more than 33,800 Palestinians, prompting widespread protest.
Like many college campuses, Columbia University has been a centre for student activism in the months since, with demonstrators rallying both in support of the war and against it.
But the university has drawn particular scrutiny, given its prominence as a prestigious Ivy League school and its attempts to crack down on unauthorised gatherings.
Some critics have argued that the suspension of pro-Palestinian students and groups has put a damper on free speech on campus, while others allege the administration has allowed a hostile atmosphere to thrive.
Partisan divide over campus activity
Committee chair Virginia Foxx opened Wednesday’s hearing with a statement championing the view that campus administrators have failed to create a safe learning environment for Jewish students.
She pointed to pro-Palestinian activism as evidence that Columbia and other campuses “have erupted into hotbeds of anti-Semitism and hate”.
“Columbia stands guilty of gross negligence at best — and at worst has become a platform for those supporting terrorism and violence against the Jewish people,” she said in prepared remarks.
Her statement referenced an incident on October 11 when an Israeli student was allegedly beaten with a stick while hanging posters of the captives taken by Hamas.
But at several points during the hearing, representatives took to the microphone to point out that anti-Semitism was part of a wider problem of discrimination and hate in the US.
“Anti-Semitism is not the only form of hatred rising in our schools. It’s not the only form of hatred that is impacting our children’s or students’ ability to learn,” Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat, said from her seat on the committee.
“Islamophobia and hate crimes against LGBTQ students have also recently spiked. They’ve led to deaths by suicide, harassment. But this committee has not held a single hearing on these issues.”
Meanwhile, Representative Ilhan Omar, a prominent progressive voice in the House, sought to dispel any conflation of antiwar protests with anti-Jewish hate.
“Have you seen a protest saying, ‘We are against Jewish people’?” Omar asked Columbia President Shafik, who answered, “No.”
Omar continued by highlighting the case of pro-Palestinian students being sprayed with a foul-smelling chemical at Columbia and being “harassed and intimidated” in other instances.
“There has been a recent attack on the democratic rights of students across the country,” she said.
Controversy looms over hearing
Shafik sought to walk a fine line during the hearing, pledging swift and decisive action against anti-Semitism while underscoring her campus’s commitment to free speech.
She was joined by Claire Shipman and David Greenwald, from Columbia’s board of trustees, as well as David Schizer, a member of the campus task force against anti-Semitism.
But looming over the proceedings was the spectre of December’s hearing, which led to the resignations of two university presidents.
On December 5, Claudine Gay of Harvard, Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania and Sally Kornbluth of MIT faced the same committee for questions about anti-Semitism on their campuses.
During the meeting, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik pressed the university presidents to explain — with simple, yes-or-no answers — whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate their campus codes of conduct.
In each case, the university presidents sought to differentiate between protected speech and harassment, leading to convoluted answers.
“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment, yes,” Magill said. She later added: “It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman.”
Clips of the hearing went viral shortly thereafter, with politicians on both sides of the aisle slamming the university presidents for failing to make a forceful denunciation of anti-Semitism and genocide.
Magill resigned four days after the hearing, as the public outrage grew. Gay — Harvard’s first Black president — also stepped down in January, facing pressure not only over the hearing but also over questions of plagiarism.
Those events cast a shadow over Wednesday’s panel, and several representatives made direct references to them.
Republican Representative Aaron Bean, for instance, applauded Columbia’s administrators for giving more forthright answers than their counterparts at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.
“Y’all have done something that they weren’t able to do: You’ve been able to condemn anti-Semitism without using the phrase, ‘It depends on the context,’” he said.
“But the problem is: Action on campus doesn’t match your rhetoric today.”
A standard approach to hate
On Wednesday, Shafik and the Columbia administrators were also pressed over many of the same issues as their colleagues from Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania.
Republicans on the committee asked them to weigh in on chants like, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. While some consider the chant anti-Semitic, others see it simply as a call for Palestinian statehood.
“I have received letters from our Jewish faculty who say they also don’t think it is anti-Semitic,” Shafik said at one point during the hearing.
But she also explained that she personally felt that language was “incredibly hurtful”.
One recommendation she said the campus was considering would create specific spaces for that kind of protest.
“If you are going to chant, it should only be in a certain place, so people who don’t want to hear it are protected from having to hear it,” Shafik said, relaying the idea.
Schizer, meanwhile, indicated that he advocated for a standard approach to hate and harassment, no matter who was being targeted.
“I’m a conservative. I’m close to many conservative students. There have been times they’ve gotten the signal that they should really go slow on a particular event or not articulate a particular position because it makes others feel uncomfortable,” Schizer said.
“And it’s striking how that kind of language has not been applied to Jewish students. When Jewish students have said, ‘We feel uncomfortable,’ the emphasis has been: ‘No, no, no, free speech.’”
“Now I want to be clear: I think free speech is essential, but I also think consistency is essential. We need to have the same approach for everyone.”
Professors under fire
Some of the fiercest criticism, however, ultimately fell to Columbia professors who were not present at the hearing.
Committee members cited statements from professors like Joseph Massad, Mohamed Abdou and Katherine Franke as evidence of bias and discrimination among the Columbia faculty.
“We have 4,700 faculty at Columbia, most of whom spend all of their time dedicated to teaching their students,” Shafik said at one point, as she defended her hiring practices.
“I have five cases at the moment who have either been taken out of the classroom or dismissed.”
In the case of Abdou, a visiting professor, Stefanik confronted Shafik with a post he wrote on social media on October 11, saying he was “with Hamas”.
“He will never work at Columbia again,” Shafik responded. “He has been terminated. And not just terminated, but his files will show that he will never work at Columbia again.”
Massad, meanwhile, came under fire for an article he wrote in the publication Electronic Antifada, describing the October 7 attack as an act of “innovative Palestinian resistance”.
“Mr Massad is under investigation,” Shafik said, adding that she believed the professor had been removed from a leadership role within the university.
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Mexican authorities have uncovered a sophisticated underground tunnel near the U.S.-Mexico border that was equipped with lighting, ventilation and an electronic transport system, which they say may connect Tijuana to a street in San Diego.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, known as the FGR, announced the discovery Saturday following a search warrant executed at a property in the Nueva Tijuana neighborhood of Tijuana, Baja California.
Authorities said the tunnel stretched approximately 265 meters, or about 870 feet, and reached a depth of roughly 6.3 meters, or 21 feet underground.
According to investigators, the tunnel contained operational infrastructure, including lighting and ventilation systems, as well as an electronic sliding mechanism designed to move items in both directions between Mexico and the U.S.
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Agents with Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) examine what authorities say was the entrance to a sophisticated cross-border tunnel discovered in Tijuana, Baja California. Mexican officials said the tunnel was equipped with lighting, ventilation and an electronic transport system. (FGR)
The tunnel was discovered through intelligence work conducted by agents with the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency in coordination with Mexico’s Security Cabinet.
Officials said the search warrant was executed as part of an investigation into alleged violations of Mexico’s firearms and explosives laws as well as drug-related offenses.
Authorities said they believe the property may have functioned as a storage, logistics and trafficking center for firearms, explosives and illicit drugs.
Mexican federal agents move through an underground tunnel discovered in Tijuana near the U.S.-Mexico border. Authorities said the passageway was used to support criminal smuggling operations. (FGR)
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Photos released by the FGR appear to show agents navigating the underground passageway, access points leading into the tunnel and evidence recovered during the operation.
Investigators said they recovered ammunition, suspected methamphetamine, suspected marijuana, cell phones and various documents from the property.
Images released by Mexican authorities also appear to show ventilation infrastructure inside the tunnel, underscoring what officials described as a sophisticated operation.
A ladder and access shaft are seen inside a property where Mexican authorities uncovered a sophisticated tunnel in Tijuana. (FGR)
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The FGR said its investigation indicates the tunnel likely connects to a street in San Diego, though authorities have not publicly identified the location or confirmed whether the U.S. side of the tunnel has been located.
The tunnel discovery comes as U.S. authorities announced charges against four individuals accused of trafficking more than a ton of cocaine through a sophisticated cross-border tunnel stretching between Tijuana and San Diego.
According to federal prosecutors in San Diego, the tunnel extended approximately 1,933 feet, reached a depth of about 55 feet and was equipped with reinforced walls, electricity, ventilation systems and rail infrastructure.
Suspected narcotics recovered during the tunnel investigation are displayed by Mexican authorities. Investigators said they also seized ammunition, cell phones and documents during the operation. (FGR)
Federal investigators said the tunnel connected Tijuana to a storefront in Otay Mesa known as “Buy 4 Less,” where agents discovered a concealed exit point hidden beneath the floor of a storage room.
Authorities seized approximately 1,029 kilograms, or more than 2,269 pounds, of suspected cocaine during the investigation, an amount prosecutors estimated was worth roughly $45 million.
Homeland Security Investigations said the seizure dealt a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations.
The investigation resulted in charges against four suspects accused of using the tunnel to move narcotics into the U.S.
Federal officials said the tunnel was discovered after months of surveillance that began in late 2025 and culminated in coordinated enforcement actions on May 29.
Officials described the discovery as a significant blow to criminal organizations that rely on underground smuggling routes to move narcotics and other contraband across the border.
“For these defendants, it wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. It was lights and sirens,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California, said.
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The evidence and property have been turned over to federal prosecutors in Baja California, who will continue the investigation.
Less than two hours after polling stations closed on Sunday, it was clear that Colombia’s presidential race would be settled in a run-off between two finalists: hard-right political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda.
Though the overall result surprised few, de la Espriella’s strong showing upended pollsters’ predictions.
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Cepeda, President Gustavo Petro’s chosen successor, had been expected to win the most votes, based on public opinion surveys.
But instead, de la Espriella came in first place, winning 43.74 percent of the vote. Cepeda trailed with 40.90 percent.
Supporters of de la Espriella, a criminal defence lawyer, held rapturous celebrations in the coastal city of Barranquilla, where the candidate has an office.
“Colombia won, and with more than 10 million votes, democracy won,” said Elsa Suarez, a de la Espriella voter living in Bogota.
The far-right candidate has modelled himself after politicians like Donald Trump in the United States and Javier Milei in Argentina, flamboyant media personalities who won the presidency despite having little to no political experience.
Like them, de la Espriella has pledged a return to “law and order”, as well as a pared-back national government and policies to support traditional family values.
Notably, he promises to use an “iron fist” to stamp out crime and build megaprisons to jail criminals, mimicking the policies of Salvadoran strongman Nayib Bukele.
Analysts say de la Espriella’s populist messaging resonated with voters in Colombia’s interior, where urban crime is a growing concern.
Electoral maps show de la Espriella besting Cepeda in 16 of the country’s 32 departments, primarily in the heart of Colombia and along the border with Venezuela.
“In more central areas and closer to the capitals, people prioritise security,” explained Laura Bonilla, the deputy director at the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (PARES), a Bogota-based research nonprofit.
By contrast, de la Espriella’s security messaging failed to sway voters along the coast and in border areas afflicted by rebel violence.
Bonilla argues that people in these regions instead place greater value on the socioeconomic issues that Cepeda represents, as the continuity candidate for Petro’s Historic Pact party.
“Over the past four years, they have received constant attention from the government,” said Bonilla, citing state development projects under the Petro administration.
A blow to the conservative establishment
De la Espriella’s success also highlights growing anti-establishment sentiment in Colombia, according to experts.
The lawyer, who has never run for public office before, comfortably beat his main rival on the right, Senator Paloma Valencia, who was backed by former President Alvaro Uribe, the figurehead of Colombian conservatism.
Initially, Sunday’s election was predicted to be a close race between Valencia and de la Espriella, both of whom lagged behind Cepeda in the polls.
But as Sunday’s ballots were tallied, Valencia flopped with less than 7 percent of the vote.
Miguel Silva, a Colombian political consultant, credited some of de la Espriella’s success to his campaign messaging.
De la Espriella, he explained, used his campaign to draw a distinction between the haves and the have-nots, those who have benefitted from the government and those who feel ignored.
“He [succeeded] by portraying himself and the people he represents as ‘Los Nunca’ and by portraying Paloma and her followers as ‘Los Siempre’,” Silva said, using the Spanish words for “The Nevers” and “The Always”.
Pollsters predicted the right would be divided in the first round, paving the way for Cepeda to win the most votes, but de la Espriella captured millions of votes from traditional conservatives, marking a shift in Colombia’s political landscape.
In Bogota, the only province in the country’s interior to vote for Cepeda, the left-wing candidate’s supporters were shocked by Sunday’s results.
“Everyone is a little surprised,” said Juan Camilo Rodriguez, who voted for Cepeda. “These results don’t match the polls.”
Petro himself had hammered his base to flood the polls, warning that the left’s chances of success could be hampered by electoral fraud.
The outgoing president rejected last night’s results, which were based on the “pre-conteo”, or preliminary count, a non-legally binding process.
Instead, Petro called on the public to wait for the official, scrutinised count, which will be released in the coming days.
Cepeda echoed the president’s scepticism in a speech on Sunday night. “Only once the vote-counting committees have fully, clearly, and thoroughly clarified this matter, will we comment on tonight’s results,” he told supporters.
But the candidate appeared to mellow his stance this morning, acknowledging that there was no evidence of irregularities in the vote. He trailed de la Espriella by more than 670,000 votes.
Experts warn that Cepeda is losing precious time by focusing on fraud allegations and should instead concentrate on swaying moderate voters.
“By crying fraud so early, it’s hard to bring more voters to the table,” said Silva.
A second round of voting, between Cepeda and de la Espriella, is scheduled for June 21.
Up for grabs are more than a million votes for centrist candidate Sergio Fajardo and 1.6 million for Paloma Valencia. While Valencia endorsed de la Espriella, her running mate, moderate politician Juan Daniel Oviedo, did not.
Miguel Jaramillo Lujan, a Colombian political strategist, said the final two candidates must tread carefully in the next three weeks to prevail.
“As the saying goes, whoever makes fewer mistakes will be the winner.”
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