Identity of Speakers
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Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva
Student
OtherUndergraduate neuroscience and political science student at Columbia University
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Other Law Enforcement
Other
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On the morning of February 26, 2026, federal immigration agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia University–owned residential building in Manhattan shortly after 6:30 a.m. Acting university president Claire Shipman said the agents made misrepresentations to gain entry, telling campus security they were searching for a “missing person,” and did not present a judicial warrant before detaining a student. The student, Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva, a neuroscience and political science student originally from Azerbaijan, posted on social media that she had been “illegally arrested” and asked for help. University officials worked to gather information, contact her family, and provide legal support.
The detention sparked immediate protests on campus, with students, faculty, and community members gathering to call for protection of international students and to object to the methods used by federal agents. New York City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, criticized the tactics employed by DHS. Later that afternoon, Mamdani reported that President Donald Trump indicated Aghayeva would be released. She was freed within hours and posted that she was safe but still processing the experience. DHS stated that Aghayeva’s student visa had been terminated in 2016 for alleged non-attendance and that she had been placed in removal proceedings, though she was released while awaiting further hearings.
University and city officials emphasized that federal agents entered the residence without a judicial warrant and that standard procedures for accessing university housing were not followed. Campus leaders highlighted the importance of proper legal authorization for law enforcement operations in student residences.
The incident occurred amid broader nationwide ICE operations targeting visa violations and immigration enforcement, which have prompted protests and advocacy efforts at multiple universities across the country. Aghayeva’s detention followed previous high-profile ICE actions involving individuals connected to protests at Columbia University, including Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, who remained in custody for months after participating in campus demonstrations.
