On Thursday, February 26, 2026, a Columbia University student named Ellie (Elmina) Aghayeva was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, sparking significant controversy and campus protests.
She was released later that same afternoon following high-level political intervention. Here are the key details of the incident:
The Arrest
* Location: Agents entered a university-owned residential building near the Morningside Heights campus around 6:00 a.m.
* The "Ruse" Allegation: Columbia’s Acting President, Claire Shipman, and Aghayeva’s attorneys alleged that five federal agents misrepresented themselves to gain entry. They reportedly told building staff and roommates they were NYPD officers searching for a missing child.
* Reason for Detention: A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson stated that Aghayeva, a citizen of Azerbaijan, had her student visa terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes.
The Release
* Political Intervention: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani happened to be at the White House for a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump on the day of the arrest. Mamdani raised the issue directly with the President.
* Trump’s Response: Shortly after the meeting, Mayor Mamdani announced that President Trump had agreed to her "imminent" release.
* Current Status: Aghayeva was released from a federal detention center in Lower Manhattan around 4:00 p.m. that day. She is currently back home but remains in removal proceedings (deportation hearings).
Campus and Legal Reaction
* Protests: The arrest triggered immediate demonstrations at Columbia's gates, with students and faculty protesting the use of "deception" by federal agents to enter student housing.
* University Policy: In response, Columbia University reaffirmed that all law enforcement agents must present a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas, including dorms.
* Legal Action: Aghayeva’s lawyers filed an emergency habeas corpus petition during her detention, arguing she was held without justification.
Aghayeva, a senior studying neuroscience and political science, is also a well-known content creator with over 100,000 followers on Instagram, where she documented the early moments of her arrest.
Would you like more information on the current university protocols regarding ICE on campus?
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