Columbia University says federal agents misrepresented themselves to detain student

Thu, February 26, 2026 at 5:50 PM UTC

25

FILE - A New York City police officer keeps watch on the campus of Columbia University in New York, May 6, 2024. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Columbia University claimed that federal law enforcement officers entered a restricted part of the campus to search for a “missing person,” only to detain a student early Thursday.

Columbia said that Department of Homeland Security agents were behind the detainment. The New York Times reported that the student arrested was Ellie Aghayeva, a senior majoring in neuroscience and political science. She claimed on Instagram that DHS “illegally arrested” her.

The university said the officers gained access to a residential area on campus, which requires a swipe card.

RELATED STORY | Under threat from Trump, Columbia University agrees to policy changes

Advertisement

Columbia did not say whether officers had a warrant, but reminded students and faculty that “all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University.” The university said that an administrative warrant does not suffice.

The university said it was seeking additional information.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he brought up the incident in a planned phone call with President Donald Trump on Thursday.

"I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning," Mamdani said. "He has just informed me that she will be released imminently."

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Breaking”