Protests over federal immigration enforcement have escalated on college campuses. At Columbia, 12 professors and students were arrested after demonstrators blocked Broadway to demand more protections for international students; organizers and faculty framed the actions as civil disobedience. Separate waves of student walkouts and 'National Shutdown' actions across multiple states drew administrative concern and conservative criticism, with state officials threatening probes and sanctions. University administrators are navigating a high‑stakes balance: protecting students’ First Amendment rights while maintaining campus safety and compliance with state reporting rules. The incidents also spotlight broader tensions between campus advocacy, public policy debates on immigration, and the operational burdens such protests impose on colleges.