Between classes, when throngs of students stream into and out of Columbia University’s campus, the security lines can back up like a TSA checkpoint. There’s a switch-back path of metal fencing that leads into a white tent, where two sets of guards check and then swipe campus ID cards before letting students in and out.

Leqaa Kordia, who is Palestinian, was arrested by Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for overstaying an expired student visa, the department said Friday.