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Detained Columbia student released after Mamdani-Trump phone call, day of protests
By
Jessica Gould
,
Arya Sundaram
,
Ben Feuerherd
and
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 26, 2026
Modified Feb 26, 2026
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Arya Sundaram / Gothamist
By
Jessica Gould
,
Arya Sundaram
,
Ben Feuerherd
and
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 26, 2026
Modified Feb 26, 2026
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A Columbia University student detained earlier in the day has been released. Ellie Aghayeva wrote on social media Thursday afternoon that she was in a car on her way “back home.”
“I am safe and OK, but am in complete shock over what happened,” she wrote.
In a social media post, Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote that he’d spoken to President Donald Trump about Aghayeva during their previously unscheduled meeting and Trump told him by phone she would be released “imminently.”
The release caps a frenzied day that included the detention and protests, all unfolding within a matter of hours.
Columbia leadership and the Department of Homeland Security each offered their own accounts of how law enforcement entered campus buildings to take Aghayeva into custody.
In a message on Thursday evening, Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman said five DHS agents entered the off-campus residential building “without any kind of warrant” after identifying themselves as police searching for a missing child. She said campus security footage shows the agents displaying photos of a missing child before taking the student into custody.
"Once inside the apartment, it became clear they had misrepresented themselves," Shipman wrote. "A public safety officer arrived, asked multiple times for a warrant, which was not produced and asked for time to call his boss, which was not given. The agents took our student."
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the detention and said Aghayeva's student visa was terminated in 2016 during the Obama administration for failing to attend classes.
In a later statement Thursday night, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers verbally identified themselves and wore badges around their necks when they arrived at the apartment. The spokesperson said the building manager and Aghayeva’s roommate allowed officers inside.
The spokesperson also said Aghayeva has no pending appeals or applications with the agency, was placed in removal proceedings and has been released while she awaits an immigration hearing.
The spokesperson did not address what, if any, representations the agents made to the building manager and roommate about who they were or why they were there.
Aghayeva is a student in Columbia’s School of General Studies, according to the legal filing, where she’s pursuing a degree in neuroscience and political science. The filing also stated that the federal officials who detained her did not present a warrant and “represented that they were searching for a missing person to gain entry.”
The attorney listed on the filing, Carl Hurvich, declined to comment.
A crowd of Columbia students and faculty members gathered in protest outside the campus's gates on West 116th Street at midday, before the announcement of Aghayeva's release.
“ICE off campus,” they chanted in unison.
The protesters also specifically criticized Shipman and the university, saying, “Columbia, your hands are red, you send your students to the feds!”
“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 [Columbia ID] swipe access,” Shipman said in her email to the school community. “An administrative warrant is not sufficient.”
In a statement, Shipman said if law enforcement agents try to access nonpublic areas of the university, community members should “ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting [the school’s department of] Public Safety,” which will coordinate with the school’s attorneys to respond.
“Do not allow them to enter or accept service of a warrant or subpoena,” she said.
Mamdani also spoke to the president about four other students — Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi and Leqaa Kordia, who all have ongoing immigration cases. A spokesperson for the mayor did not say whether Mamdani and Trump discussed the case of City Council staffer Rafael Rubio, who has been held by immigration authorities since mid-January.
This story has been updated with new information. Brigid Bergin contributed reporting.
Tagged
columbia university
education
immigration
manhattan
new york city
public safety
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Catalina Gonella
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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