Federal agents release Columbia student after university says they used false pretenses to enter building and detain her

By Alaa Elassar, CNN

(CNN) — Ellie Aghayeva – a Columbia University student who was detained early Thursday after the university said federal immigration agents allegedly used false pretenses to enter a campus residential building – has been released, she confirmed on her Instagram account.

At approximately 6:30 a.m., agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia residential building in New York City and took a student into custody, Columbia University’s Acting President Claire Shipman said in a letter.

University officials say agents misrepresented their purpose in order to access the building.

“Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person,’” Shipman wrote. “We are working to gather more details.”

The student has been identified as Aghayeva, an international student and senior double majoring in neuroscience and political science, according to the American Association of University Professors, which confirmed her identity to CNN. AAUP learned of Aghayeva’s identity when her fellow students alerted the Columbia University AAUP chapter.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to CNN that ICE arrested Aghayeva, but did not respond to allegations that agents misrepresented themselves to gain access to the building.

ICE arrested Aghayeva, who is from Azerbaijan, “whose student visa was terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes,” the statement read.

“The building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment. She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS.”

Aghayeva shared a story on Instagram showing a photo of just her legs with the caption: “DHS illegally arrested me. Please help.” The night before her detention, the student had shared an Instagram reel documenting a 10-hour study session in the library.

The student had built a sizable social media following, regularly posting about her library study sessions, as well as her lifestyle and productivity habits.

Aghayeva’s arrest comes nearly a year after Palestinian activist and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was taken into ICE custody on March 8, 2025. Khalil spent more than 100 days detained, missing the birth of his first child, and now faces the possibility of deportation.

Columbia said it is working to contact Aghayeva’s family and ensure the student has access to legal support.

In her letter, Shipman emphasized law enforcement officers must present a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the university, including residence halls, classrooms and buildings requiring Columbia University ID card access. An administrative warrant, she wrote, is not sufficient.

“If law enforcement agents seek entry to non-public areas of the University, ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting Public Safety. Public Safety will contact the Office of the General Counsel to coordinate the University’s response,” Shipman wrote.

“Do not allow them to enter or accept service of a warrant or subpoena.”

President Donald Trump met Thursday with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in Washington to discuss housing. Mamdani later posted on X that he had raised the detention of Aghayeva during their meeting. In a follow-up phone call, Mamdani said Trump told him, “she will be released imminently.”

The incident comes as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed legislation that would bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement from entering sensitive locations such as schools and dormitories.

“Let’s be clear about what happened: ICE agents didn’t have the proper warrant, so they lied to gain access to a student’s private residence,” Hochul said in a statement on X.

Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, the dean of the New York congressional delegation, and Assemblymember Micah Lasher said in a statement they were “disgusted and outraged” that ICE agents allegedly entered a Columbia University dorm under false pretenses and without a judicial warrant to detain a student, calling the action dangerous, fear-inducing and vowing to work to bring the student home.

An emergency rally was called to protest the early-morning detention, with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a student-led coalition representing more than 100 organizations, announcing the demonstration on X and urging immediate action.

Columbia students targeted in federal immigration actions

Aghayeva’s arrest marks the first time DHS has detained a Columbia student at a university-owned residence since the arrest of Khalil, a 2024 School of International and Public Affairs student.

Khalil, who was taken from his apartment and spent more than 100 days without charge in ICE custody, now faces the looming possibility of rearrest and deportation to Algeria or Syria.

Khalil’s legal team suffered a setback in January when a three-judge panel of the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed a lower court decision that had secured his release from an immigration detention facility.

Khalil, who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria before going on to graduate from Columbia, had played a prominent role negotiating on behalf of pro-Palestinian protesters at the university.

Another Columbia University student, Ranjani Srinivasan, was also detained in March 2025 amid pro-Palestinian protests at Hamilton Hall, even though she maintains she did not participate in the protest.

Srinivasan, then 37, an Indian national and Fulbright Scholarship recipient, said she was targeted for exercising her right to free speech, and the experience forced her to leave the country out of fear of being taken into custody.

DHS officials identified her as one of several Columbia students targeted for immigration action under the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students involved in protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a former undocumented immigrant, said students and faculty “should not fear for their safety in their dorm rooms, the classroom, or anywhere else on campus,” and described the incident as part of what he called the Trump administration’s “lawless actions.”

“This exhibit of the Trump Administration’s lawless actions — which are rarely supported by legitimate warrants or subpoenas — is yet another reminder that Columbia University and other institutions must enhance the protections and policies they utilize to create a safe environment for those they serve and employ,” Espaillat wrote on X.

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CNN’s Sara Smart contributed to this report.