Duke drops investigation into arrest at ICE protest, student says
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- Duke ends disciplinary probe into student arrested during Miami ICE protest, she says
- Student says dropped charges and photojournalist claim influenced Duke's decision.
- Student credits local and national pressure, vows continued campus activism.
Duke University has dropped its disciplinary investigation into a student who was arrested during a protest at an ICE detention center in Miami last fall, according to the student — and she says the outcome is a result of community pressure on the university.
Duke junior and Miami native Artivista Karlin, 21, was among 30 people arrested in November when protesters blocked the entrance to Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County. Three months after the arrest, Karlin got an email from Duke notifying her that the school was investigating her for potential violation of its policies regarding “Disruption, Interference, and Disorderly Conduct.”
At a conference between Karlin and university leadership Friday, administrators informed Karlin that they were no longer pursuing the investigation, she announced on social media.
“It definitely came after a lot of community pressure and support from organizations both at Duke, statewide, and nationally,” Karlin told The News & Observer in an interview Monday. “... All across the country people were speaking out about this. Duke likes to maintain an atmosphere of silence, so I believe that public pressure was very important to be able to get Duke to dismiss the case.”
A university spokesperson said Duke can’t comment on disciplinary matters related to specific students.
“Duke takes seriously reports of student arrests, and staff with the Dean of Students office have non-disciplinary conversations with students facing criminal charges,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to The N&O on Monday afternoon. “During these conversations, staff provide guidance and support to the student and ensure they are advised of potential implications for their status at Duke should they later have a criminal record.”
Duke told Karlin at the conference it had reviewed the facts of her arrest, which she had provided them in a written statement. The main factors in Duke’s decision to leave it alone, she said, were that one, the charges against her are set to be dropped this summer after she completes a pretrial diversion program, and two, that she says she was there primarily as a citizen photojournalist.
“Pride in my community and how we stand up for one another is what I am feeling the most right now,” Karlin said.
Karlin organizes monthly days of action at Duke, leading calls for the school to resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement by becoming a “Fourth Amendment campus” and raise its minimum wage. The next of these will occur on April 17.
“Ever since my freshman year, I’ve always been outspoken. I’ve always stood for what I believe is right,” Karlin said. “... I’m aware that certainly does put me more as a center of attention to the Duke administration. A lot of it does put an additional target, someone they can specifically state is responsible for something.
“I certainly believe that if something like this were to happen again, I know that there is a community there to support me, and if it were to happen to anyone else as well. We keep each other safe.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 11:39 AM.
