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NYPD releases bodycam footage of response to Columbia student's ICE arrest
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 6, 2026
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Charles Lane
Published Mar 6, 2026
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The NYPD on Friday released 911 audio and body camera footage from its response to federal immigration officers' arrest of Columbia University student Ellie Aghayeva at her off-campus apartment last week.
The 911 call reported two "suspicious males" trying to "gain entry" into the student-housing building near Columbia’s campus. When responding officers arrived, they found four officers with Homeland Security Investigations — a subdivision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — already inside a second-floor apartment. Two of the agents wore badges around their necks.
Someone wearing a Columbia campus security hat was also at the scene.
"We called the super on the intercom," one of the HSI officers said, adding that his three partners were inside the apartment.
"You guys roll deep," NYPD Officer Frank Tortorella responded.
The responding officers verified the identities of two of the four HSI officers at the scene by requesting their identification, according to the footage.
Columbia President Claire Shipman previously said federal agents "misrepresented themselves" by claiming to be police searching for a missing child to gain access to the building and apartment. The footage does not capture what the ICE agents said to gain entry.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said last week that the officers "verbally identified themselves" and "visibly wore badges around their necks" but has not addressed the missing child claim.
The release of the NYPD body camera footage comes after several lawmakers called on the NYPD and Columbia to release video footage surrounding the incident.
"Based on the video, it's more imperative than ever that Columbia release their security camera footage so we can fully understand how ICE gained access to this off-campus housing and to the extent civil rights violations occurred," Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said in a social media post on Friday.
A university spokesperson declined to comment on the video’s release and said it would not be releasing surveillance footage from the incident without a subpoena, per university policy.
Aghayeva, who is from Azerbaijan and studies neuroscience and political science at Columbia, was released several hours after her arrest following a plea from Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a visit to the White House.
Civil liberties advocates have said the officers' alleged use of a ruse to enter the building may have violated Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches.
Arya Sundaram contributed reporting.
Tagged
public safety
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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