Department of Homeland Security agents detained a Columbia University student on Thursday morning, the university said, after agents “made misrepresentations to gain entry” to a residential building.
Federal agents entered a Columbia building in New York City at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET and detained the student, according to a statement from the university’s acting president, Claire Shipman.
“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 said.
“It is important to reiterate that all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University, including housing, classrooms, and areas requiring CUID swipe access,” Shipman continued. “An administrative warrant is not sufficient.”
DHS identified the student as Elmina Aghayeva, a native of Azerbaijan. In a statement, the department said her student visa “was terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes. … She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS.”
The building manager and Aghayeva’s roommate let officers into her apartment, DHS said in its statement. The Tuesday-morning arrest is the first significant immigration enforcement action on Columbia property since Ph.D. student Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who was involved in organizing pro-Palestinian protests on campus, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in his university dormitory building in March 2025. Khalil was in federal custody for more than three months and missed the birth of his first child before he was released. DHS has said that he will be rearrested and deported to Algeria, which his attorneys have disputed, pointing to an ongoing appeals process in his case. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
