Federal immigration agents entered Columbia University housing early Thursday and detained a student. By midafternoon, she was out of custody after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump told him she would be released.
Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva, a senior studying neuroscience and political science, was taken around 6:30 a.m., according to a campus message from Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman.
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Disputed entry into campus housing
Shipman wrote that federal officers gained access by claiming they were searching for a “missing person.” Columbia requires a judicial warrant, not an administrative one, for entry into nonpublic campus housing.
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“Habeas corpus” is the constitutional right that ensures that people have a chance to challenge their imprisonment in front of a judge.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed ICE arrested Aghayeva, identifying her as a citizen of Azerbaijan whose student visa was terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes. DHS said the building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment and that she has no pending appeals or applications with the department. DHS did not address the allegation that agents misrepresented themselves.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal alleged in a post on X that ICE agents impersonated NYPD officers, using fake badges and a fabricated missing child bulletin to get inside. He called the conduct a serious civil rights violation.
Legal challenge and White House involvement
Aghayeva’s attorney filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in federal court in Manhattan challenging the detention.
While in custody, Aghayeva posted a photo on Instagram appearing to show her seated in the back of a vehicle. Over the image, she wrote: “DHS illegally arrested me. Please help.”
The case moved quickly beyond campus. Mamdani said he raised the detention during a meeting with Trump in Washington. Shortly after 3 p.m., he posted on X that Trump informed him she would be “released imminently.”
Aghayeva later confirmed on Instagram that she had been released, writing that she was safe and needed time to process.
Columbia said it is providing legal support and reviewing its procedures. In guidance to staff, Shipman reminded employees to contact public safety and university counsel before allowing federal agents into nonpublic areas.
Renewed focus on immigration enforcement at Columbia
The detention brings renewed attention to federal immigration actions at Columbia. Last year, agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil in a university-owned building; he remains in legal proceedings related to his immigration status.
On Thursday afternoon, demonstrators gathered outside the university’s gates to protest Aghayeva’s detention. Columbia said it is working to contact her family and assess next steps.
