Columbia University student Ellie Aghayeva, who was detained by federal immigration agents, was released hours later after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised her case directly with President Donald Trump during a meeting. Trump agreed to her release shortly after.
Mamdani shared the news on X, saying he brought up the arrest during an unrelated meeting with the president. Soon after, Aghayeva posted on Instagram: “I am safe and okay,” adding that she was in “complete shock” over the experience.
The arrest happened when federal agents came to Aghayeva’s campus apartment at 6:00 AM. Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said the agents got in by misrepresenting themselves, posing as investigators looking for a “missing person” or “missing child.” Security cameras captured them in a hallway showing pictures of an alleged missing child.
Federal agents used a missing child story to get inside, and Columbia is now pushing back hard
Aghayeva, a senior studying neuroscience and politics who is originally from Azerbaijan and has over 100,000 Instagram followers, quickly posted a photo from the back seat of a vehicle, writing: “DHS illegally arrested me. Please help.”
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, later said Aghayeva’s student visa had been terminated in 2016 due to a failure to attend classes, and that she had been placed in removal proceedings but released while awaiting her hearing. The spokesperson disputed claims that agents posed as NYPD officers but did not address whether they claimed to be searching for a missing child.
The use of such tactics by immigration agents is not new. Federal agents have reportedly posed as utility workers and other service employees in various cities. Immigration attorneys say these methods are becoming more common, though they are generally considered legal.
The incident has alarmed many at Columbia. Mathematics professor Michael Thaddeus called it “a horrifying sign that the roving eye of the administration is turning back to Columbia,” adding that the idea of “secret police” abducting students is something you would expect from an “authoritarian regime.” Mamdani has been vocal about such aggressive federal actions, having previously spoken out against ICE-related violence in New York.
Acting President Shipman sent an email to the Columbia community reminding residential staff not to allow federal law enforcement into university buildings without a subpoena or warrant. She advised students: “If you encounter or observe DHS/ICE agents conducting enforcement activities on or near campus, immediately contact Public Safety. Do not allow them to enter non-public areas or accept service of a warrant or subpoena.”
The episode also highlights the unusual relationship between Trump and Mamdani, a democratic socialist whom Trump once threatened to deport. Mamdani was meeting Trump to pitch a large housing project when he raised Aghayeva’s case. He also asked Trump to drop cases against several other current and former Columbia students facing deportation over their roles in protests against Israel.
Since taking office, Mamdani has been making early changes to improve New York City, and this latest move adds to that record. Aghayeva has not been publicly linked to any pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus and is known online for sharing day-in-the-life videos and advice for immigrant college students.
Published: Feb 27, 2026 12:43 pm