The FBI, along with state and local law enforcement, on Wednesday raided the homes of anti-Israel activists connected to protests at the University of Michigan.
Authorities began executing search warrants Wednesday morning in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Canton in southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Metro Times and the Detroit Free Press reported. Several people were detained before they were eventually released.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office is handling the ongoing investigation, but it declined to provide details about the raids. A spokesperson, however, clarified that the police activity was unrelated to illegal immigration, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not involved. All individuals targeted appear to be American citizens, Nessel spokesman Danny Wimmer said.
Although the official reason for the search warrants remains unclear, an anti-Israel group said pro-Palestinian protesters were being targeted because of their views on the war in Gaza. In an Instagram post, the TAHRIR Coalition claimed the authorities refused to show their warrants, seized electronics and personal belongings, and detained eight residents in four homes before releasing them.
The group demands that the University of Michigan divest from Israel, accusing the Jewish state of committing “apartheid” and “genocide” against Palestinians.
The Graduate Employees’ Organization, a union that represents graduate workers at the University of Michigan, condemned the raids. “This is an alarming escalation by the university and state,” the union posted on X. It confirmed at least one of its members was detained and questioned by officers.
Like many other higher education institutions across the U.S., the state university has been home to anti-Israel sentiment since October 7, 2023, along with activities that have prompted investigations from law enforcement.
For instance, police have been investigating attacks on residences belonging to University of Michigan regents and the school’s provost. The home and car of Jordan Acker, a Jewish regent, was targeted by antisemitic vandals in December, and Provost Laurie McCauley experienced a similar incident last month.
The university has also taken action by suspending an anti-Israel group, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, for two years. The organization allegedly participated in a “die in” encampment on the main Ann Arbor campus in August and a march at the home of Regent Sarah Hubbard, a Republican, last May.
In September, Attorney General Nessel filed criminal charges against eleven people for trespassing and other offenses in connection with a May 2024 encampment. Wednesday’s raids mark the second time Nessel, a Jewish Democrat, has targeted anti-Israel activists at the University of Michigan.