NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Agents from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration arrested a Palestinian graduate student who played a prominent role in last year's pro-Palestinian protests at New York's Columbia University, the student workers' labor union said on Sunday.
The arrest of Yasmeen Elagha, 26, a graduate student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, marks an escalation in the government's response to campus protests that swept across the United States last spring.
According to the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Elagha at her home in Chicago on Saturday morning. The union said in a statement that Elagha, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, was being held on sealed charges.
"This arrest appears to be part of a broader pattern of targeting Palestinian and pro-Palestinian activists across the country," the union statement said. "We demand her immediate release and call on Columbia University to use all available resources to secure her freedom."
ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Columbia University said it was "deeply concerned" about the arrest and was working to gather more information.
The arrest comes amid heightened tensions on college campuses as the conflict in Gaza continues to spark protests. Last spring, Columbia became the epicenter of nationwide campus demonstrations after students established an encampment on university grounds, leading to hundreds of arrests when police cleared the protests.
Civil liberties groups have expressed alarm at what they describe as increasing government surveillance and targeting of Palestinian activists and their supporters.
"This arrest raises serious concerns about free speech and the right to protest," said Maya Rodriguez, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. "Students have a constitutional right to express their political views without fear of government retaliation."
Columbia's campus has seen renewed protests in recent weeks, though on a smaller scale than last year's demonstrations.