Federal immigration agents detained a Columbia University student early Thursday after entering a campus residence using what the university says were the pretext of searching for a missing child. Columbia recorded protests and legal complaints followed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised the case with President Trump during an unrelated White House meeting; the student was released hours later after what officials described as executive intervention. The episode raised questions about how and when ICE agents may access university residences and triggered renewed calls for campus transparency and legal policy guidance. Legal experts and campus counsel urged universities to review protocols for cooperating with federal law enforcement and to update communications plans for students and families. The incident will likely accelerate litigation and campus policy reviews about warrant requirements and students’ due-process protections.