Federal agents detained a Columbia University resident in an early‑morning operation that university officials and lawyers say involved a deceptive entry tactic; campus surveillance captured agents claiming they were searching for a missing child. The incident sparked protests, legal petitions and immediate scrutiny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement powers on university property. Columbia and legal advocates questioned whether agents showed warrants and whether the arrest complied with campus protocols and due process. Hours after the detention, Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised the case with President Trump at the White House; the student was released following that intervention. The episode has sharpened debate on institutional responses to federal enforcement actions, campus policing practices, and legal limits on warrantless entry—raising liability, student‑safety and reputational risks for universities that host dense residential populations.