Khymani James, a leader at Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment who stated in January 2024 that “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” may be eligible to return to the university in the fall, according to court documents.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) stated in September that when she chaired the House Education and Workforce Committee, Columbia leaders told her that James “would be expelled for his antisemitic rhetoric.”
“He was not expelled. Nothing was done. Columbia, you have failed again, again and again,” Foxx said at the time.
Columbia told the congresswoman at the time that “encouraging violence against others is unacceptable and has no place in our community discourse” and that the “individual in question has been barred from Columbia’s campus since April 2024 and is not a registered student.”
Kimberly Winston, who works with the school’s media relations team, told JNS that “Columbia cannot comment on pending litigation.”
A source familiar with the situation, who declined to be named, told JNS that “James was denied re-enrollment for this year,” and “there is a process that must be undertaken internally.”
“Every student is allowed due process,” the source told JNS.
James sued Columbia in September 2024 in New York State Supreme Court, alleging that the school suspended him wrongly and discriminated against him.
In August, a Columbia dean, whose name was redacted, told James that his request to re-enroll for fall 2025 was denied and that he could reapply for fall 2026.
