Administrators claimed that investigators “made a false report” and that they conducted a missing persons search in the school building to detain the woman.
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Columbia University in New York came under fire after it announced that US immigration enforcement agents “made false statements” to enter one of the school’s residential buildings to detain students.
Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered the building around 6:30 a.m. Thursday (13:30 p.m. local time), according to a statement from Columbia University’s acting president Claire Shipman.
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“Our understanding at this time is that federal agents gave false statements in order to enter the building to search for a ‘missing person,'” Shipman said. “We are working to gather further details.”
He added that “all law enforcement agencies must obtain a judicial warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas of the university, such as residences, classrooms, and areas that require swipe (of identification badge) access.”
“An administrative warrant is not enough,” she said, referring to internal documents used by DHS to justify searches of illegal immigrants without judge approval. Advocacy groups say the action is a violation of constitutionally protected rights.
Columbia University’s statement did not reveal the identities of the detained students, but student newspaper The Columbia Spectator reported that neuroscience researcher Ellie Agayeva was targeted.
At 3:18 p.m. local time (17:00 Japan time), New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani announced that he had spoken with President Donald Trump about the situation.
Mamdani wrote about her meeting with President Trump: “I shared my concerns about Columbia University student Ilaina Agayeva.” “He has now informed me that she will be released soon.”
Agayeva later posted on her Instagram account that she was “safe and well” and on her way home.
“I need some time to process everything. I’ll be back soon. But don’t worry,” she wrote.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency of DHS, previously confirmed Agayeva’s detention to several U.S. media outlets, but did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for more information.
In a statement to NBC News, the station announced that Agayeva’s student visa was terminated in 2016 “for failure to attend classes.” The statement added: “The building manager and his roommate allowed officers into the apartment.”
Protesters gathered on Thursday at a campus that was the site of a major pro-Palestinian demonstration in 2024.
Promoting mass deportations
“DHS has illegally arrested me. Please help me,” Agayeva wrote to fellow students in a student group chat early Thursday morning, according to the Columbia Spectator.
“They are trying to take me away,” she wrote. “Can someone please help me?”
The Trump administration has targeted large numbers of students for mass deportations, but immigration advocates say the measure relies on increasingly drastic tactics to achieve high quotas.
Immediately after President Trump returned to office in January 2025, the Trump administration targeted several Columbia University students, including U.S. residents Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, for pro-Palestinian advocacy. The Columbia Spectator reported that Agayeva’s targeting was the first time a Columbia University official had been detained on university property since Khalil was detained in March.
Columbia University reached an agreement with the Trump administration in June after the administration threatened to withhold $1.3 billion in funding over the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Critics said the agreement violated academic freedom and implicitly supported the administration’s conflation of pro-Palestinian protests with anti-Semitic sentiment. The university had previously been criticized for expelling or suspending students who participated in protests.
New York Gov. Cathy Hochul was among the elected officials Thursday to condemn the actions of immigration officials.
“Let’s be clear about what happened: ICE officers did not have the proper warrants and lied to gain access to students’ private residences,” she wrote to X, urging state lawmakers to pass legislation “banning ICE from entering sensitive areas such as schools and dormitories.”
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler accused ICE of “terrifying neighborhoods and taking students from their homes.”
