People participate in a protest outside the Columbia University campus after agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detained a student in university housing, in New York City, U.S., February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
(New York, New York) – Federal immigration agents entered a residential building owned by Columbia University early Thursday morning and detained a student, according to university officials.
Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, said in a letter to the campus community that agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrived at approximately 6:30 a.m. and gained access to the building under what the university believes were false pretenses.
“We are working to gather more details,” Shipman wrote, adding that officials believe the agents misrepresented themselves in order to enter.
University Says Agents Misrepresented Purpose
According to a state lawmaker briefed by the university, the federal agents presented themselves as New York Police Department officers and told building staff they were searching for a “missing person.”
Assemblyman Micah Lasher said university officials told him that agents, dressed in plain clothes, showed a building superintendent what appeared to be a missing child flyer. After being let inside, a roommate opened the apartment door.
Once the superintendent realized the situation was not related to a missing person, campus security was contacted, and the NYPD was subsequently notified, Lasher said.
Columbia officials stated that law enforcement must present a judicial warrant — not an administrative warrant — to access private campus housing. It appears a judicial warrant was not used in this case, according to the university.
Student Identified as International Senior
The detained student was identified by friends as Ellie Aghayeva, a senior majoring in neuroscience and political science. According to a statement shared with the American Association of University Professors, Aghayeva is an international student with a valid visa.
She appeared to have been taken from her Columbia-owned apartment on West 121st Street.
Shortly after the detention, Aghayeva posted a one-second video to Instagram from the back of a vehicle, captioned: “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please help.”
Court documents show her attorney filed an emergency petition in Manhattan federal court Thursday seeking her release.
A DHS spokesperson said the agency is preparing a formal statement.
Elected Officials Condemn the Operation
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal alleged on social media that agents displayed a “phony” missing persons bulletin and fake badges to gain entry, calling the incident a “staggering” civil rights violation.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Councilmember Shaun Abreu issued a joint statement condemning the arrest.
“ICE has no place in our schools and universities,” they wrote. “These activities do not make our city or country safer, but rather drive mistrust and danger.”
Escalation on Campus
The arrest marks a renewed surge in immigration enforcement actions connected to Columbia’s campus.
In March 2025, Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate, was detained inside a dormitory lobby. He was later released on bail and is fighting deportation.
Another student, Mohsen Mahdawi, was detained during a citizenship interview in Vermont but had his deportation blocked by a judge last week.
A third Columbia student, Ranjani Srinivasan, fled to Canada last year after federal officers reportedly searched for her at her campus residence.
Protests Erupt Outside Campus
By midday Thursday, roughly 100 demonstrators gathered outside Columbia’s gates on Broadway, holding signs reading “Abolish ICE” and “Immigrants are New York.”
The detention has intensified scrutiny over immigration enforcement tactics on college campuses and raised fresh legal questions about access to private university housing.
More details are expected as DHS releases its statement and court proceedings unfold.
