US EditionColumbia University student says she has been released after being detained by DHS agents
Federal agents used a missing person claim to enter Columbia dorm and detain student Ellie Aghayeva, who was released hours later after legal and political intervention.
- On Thursday, a Columbia University student, Ellie Aghayeva, was detained inside a Morningside Heights campus residence by DHS agents and released hours later after Mayor Zohran Mamdani's meeting with President Donald Trump.
- Columbia says federal agents claimed to search for a missing person, but DHS spokespersons say agents identified themselves and were let in by building occupants.
- Her social media posts showed Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia senior, posted 'Dhs illegally arrested me' and later said she was released shortly before 4 p.m.
- Campus protesters and elected officials reacted as Columbia University residential staff barred law enforcement from nonpublic areas without safety agents, while Mamdani’s spokesperson Joe Calvello said four additional New York students in ICE detention were submitted for dismissal.
- The episode echoes earlier Columbia detentions, including Mahmoud Khalil's March 2025 arrest, as immigration attorneys link deceptive tactics to the Trump administration's campus enforcement shift.
117 Articles
117 Articles
Report: ICE Impersonated NYPD To Arrest Columbia University Student
Source: Ryan Murphy / Getty Immigration officers in New York City have been accused of impersonating officers with the NYPD in order to gain entry into a Columbia University-owned apartment building to detain a student, and the Trump administration is, as usual, sticking to its script, demonizing the detainee and absolving its agents of any wrongdoing. According to the New York Times, on Thursday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE…
ICE Abducts Then Releases Columbia Student After Mamdani Intervenes & Calls to Dismiss More Cases
Federal agents detained a Columbia University student early Thursday after Department of Homeland Security officers allegedly gained access to a university-owned residence by presenting a fake missing person poster of a 5-year-old. As news broke of the student, Ellie Aghayeva, and her detention, students and community members rallied en masse demanding her release and an end to immigration enforcement on campus. Due to restrictions implemented by
Columbia says ICE agents used false pretenses to enter a university residence and detain a student. Here’s what we know
Ellie Aghayeva had documented an intensive, 10-hour study session in the Columbia University library Wednesday night, sharing with her sizeable social media following how she prepares for an exam and conducts research.
Trump Administration and Control; ICE at Columbia; 10-Question Quiz: Broadcast Media History; Public Song Project 2026; Finding Your Style | The Brian Lehrer Show
Trump Administration and Control; ICE at Columbia; 10-Question Quiz: Broadcast Media History; Public Song Project 2026; Finding Your Style
Agents had returned to Elmina Aghayeva, enrolled at Columbia University, early Thursday morning, pretending to be looking for a "missing child".
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