Campus extremism is again testing Columbia University after a court filing revealed that encampment organizer Khymani James could return to the Ivy League school despite earlier assurances that he would be expelled. The disclosure raises new questions about how the university enforces discipline amid lingering concerns over campus anti-Semitism.
In a December court filing, Columbia acknowledged it denied James’s request to lift his April 2024 suspension but told him he “will be eligible to reapply to return for the Fall 2026 semester.” That position conflicts with what Rep. Virginia Foxx (R., N.C.) said the university told Congress. “The university made a direct statement to me that Khymani James would be expelled for his antisemitic rhetoric,” Foxx said.
James became a central figure during the 2024 illegal encampments and was filmed saying “university officials should be grateful that I’m not just going out there and murdering Zionists.” Columbia’s August letter cited ongoing concerns, stating James had “not demonstrate[d] a clear understanding of the impact [his] conduct had on members of the University community.” It added that his language during suspension “raises serious concerns about your readiness to return to Columbia.”
James appealed, arguing his remarks were misunderstood and claiming, “of course I am tolerant of differing viewpoints.” He also accused the school of “taking orders from the fascist Trump administration” and warned that denying reenrollment would “once again render me homeless.”
The controversy extends beyond Columbia. After the anti-Semitic Columbia University Apartheid Divest group endorsed “liberation by any means necessary, including armed resistance,” James thanked his “comrades” and said he “couldn’t agree more.” Weeks later, he reacted online to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, writing, “More. MORE!!!” and “NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED.”
Foxx responded sharply: “He was not expelled. Nothing was done. Columbia, you have failed again, again, and again.” As leadership transitions loom, the handling of campus extremism may define Columbia’s credibility moving forward.
