Federal immigration authorities employed deceptive tactics to detain a Columbia University student early Thursday, gaining unauthorized access to campus housing under false pretenses. According to university officials and legal representatives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entered a Manhattan residential building at approximately 6:30 a.m. by claiming they were investigating a missing person case.
The detained student, Ellie Aghayeva, is an Azerbaijani national pursuing dual degrees in neuroscience and political science. A prominent social media influencer with over 100,000 Instagram followers, Aghayeva managed to post a distress message stating ‘DHS illegally arrested me. Please help’ before being transferred to a federal detention facility in Lower Manhattan.
University President Claire Shipman confirmed in a campus-wide communication that federal agents had entered university property without proper judicial authorization. Columbia’s established protocol requires law enforcement to present valid judicial warrants or subpoenas for access to non-public areas, including student housing.
This incident reflects an emerging pattern of federal immigration authorities utilizing deceptive entry tactics. Recent months have witnessed ICE agents posing as utility workers and service employees in various cities, including Minneapolis. While generally legal, these tactics have raised concerns among immigration attorneys about the escalating aggressiveness of enforcement operations.
The arrest occurs nearly one year after federal agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia graduate student and Palestinian activist, within university-owned housing. Khalil remains engaged in deportation proceedings while released on bail.
Columbia University has initiated legal support measures for Aghayeva and is contacting her family. Campus authorities have reinforced existing guidelines advising students to deny entry to law enforcement agents lacking proper documentation and to immediately contact campus security instead.