A Duke University student is under a school disciplinary investigation for his participation in Miami ICE protests.
In November, protesters blocked the entrance to the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County, where people suspected of entering the country without authorization are detained. More than 30 protesters were arrested.
Among them is Artivista Karlin, a 21-year-old Duke University junior and Miami native who is a student organizer.
At Duke, Carlin organized protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But as an aspiring photojournalist, she said she was in Miami that day to capture the action. She was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on charges of unlawful assembly, obstructing a highway and resisting an officer without violence, according to her arrest affidavit and other documents reviewed by The News & Observer.
Also arrested that day was Tampa Bay Times photojournalist David Decker. The charges against Decker have been dropped and those against Carlin will be dropped this summer, she said. She is in a pretrial diversion program under a protocol reviewed by N&O.
“They… have temporarily shut down all operations [of the Krome Detention Center] “This was a historic act of non-violent civil disobedience,” Carlin said. “I returned to where my loved ones grew up and to the two places and communities I call home, Miami and Duke.”
Three months after his arrest, on February 22, Carlin received an email from the Office of the Dean of Students at Duke University.
“This message is to inform you that the Office of Student and Community Standards has launched an investigation into a report of potential inappropriate conduct by you as a Duke Community Standards respondent during the fall 2025 semester,” the email reviewed by the N&O read.
“The report states that you were arrested on November 22, 2025 while conducting a protest in Miami, Florida. The alleged conduct, if proven, may constitute a violation of the following University policies: [sic]: Disruption, disturbance and disorderly conduct, [and] Other violations. “
Carlin and the Duke administration are working to convene a meeting in the coming days to discuss the findings and her ongoing student activism on campus. She organized a monthly day of action at Duke University, spearheading calls for the school to boycott ICE and raise the minimum wage.
Carlin said she has discussed her options with an attorney if the investigation does not go well.
“I’m here as a citizen photojournalist, using photography as a message of light to create a better world,” Carlin said. “Duke has failed to acknowledge the courage it takes to sacrifice individual freedoms for the right to record, to use the First Amendment to protect our rights and responsibilities to protest and a free press, … Duke is seeking to take disciplinary action against those who exercise their constitutionally protected rights to protect the people we love and the place we call home.”
Two examples of prohibited conduct under the “Disruptive, Disturbing, and Disorderly Conduct” policy in Duke University Community Standards are as follows:
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“Refuse to leave a private area or closed meeting without authorization;”
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“Interfering with or interfering with the performance of a university or public official’s duties, including law enforcement.”
When asked to comment on the investigation, Duke cited its policies and federal privacy laws.
“Duke Community Standards govern student conduct at Duke,” spokesman Gregory Phillips told the N&O. “Duke complies with federal privacy laws and cannot comment on disciplinary matters, if any, related to Duke students, including whether a student’s conduct is under investigation.”
