Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking at the Justice Department, said it was all part of the president’s “mission to end antisemitism in this country.”

According to the sources, it was part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on individuals it has described as espousing the views of Hamas.

The Ivy League university has faced intense scrutiny from the Trump administration over its handling of pro-Palestinian student protests in 2024.

Universities across the U.S. have announced hiring freezes, citing new financial uncertainty as the Trump administration threatens a range of cuts to federal contracts and research grants. Some have announced layoffs.

Officials from President Donald Trump's administration have said Mahmoud Khalil was detained for his purported support of Hamas, a claim his attorneys deny.

The clip shows plainclothes immigration authorities confronting the married couple in the lobby of their university-owned residence on the night of Saturday, March 8.