Columbia University student released from federal detention

The Columbia University student who was detained by Department of Homeland Security agents on Thursday morning has been released, the university said Thursday afternoon.

A post on the university’s X account, published just after 4:15 p.m. ET, said officials were “relieved and thrilled” that the student, Elmina Aghayeva, whom the school identified as Ellie, was released. The post added that more details would be forthcoming Thursday night.

MS NOW witnessed the student entering her dorm late Thursday afternoon, shielding her face under a black jacket and flanked by a small group of peers.

The news capped off — for now — an ordeal that began at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time in Manhattan Thursday, when federal agents entered one of the Ivy League school’s buildings and detained the student under false pretenses, according to a statement from Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman.

“Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person,’” Shipman said.

“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 CUID swipe access,” Shipman continued. “An administrative warrant is not sufficient.”

DHS identified Aghayeva as a native of Azerbaijan. In a statement, the department said her student visa “was terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes.”

“She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS,” the statement said.

The building manager and Aghayeva’s roommate let officers into her apartment, DHS said in its statement.

In a post on X just after 3:15 p.m. E.T., New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump told him Thursday afternoon that Aghayeva would be “released imminently.” The White House did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment.

Sabah Bari, Aghayeva’s friend, told MS NOW that officers went up to Aghayeva’s residential building, saying they were looking for a missing person, before detaining her. Bari said Aghayeva has a large following on social media, but she was not involved in “any of the protests or anything that’s happening on campus as of recent, or at least to my knowledge.”

Bari said she and Aghayeva create content together. They had plans to meet up on Wednesday night, but Bari said she canceled them. She described Aghayeva as smart, highly motivated and deeply involved in community efforts on campus.

Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, decried Aghayeva’s arrest in a statement.

“If these reports are accurate, this is a dangerous abuse of state power that threatens due process, undermines trust and safety on our campuses, and sends a chilling message to international students and scholars across the country,” Wolfson said. “Universities must not become extensions of immigration enforcement or sites of fear and intimidation.”

The Tuesday-morning arrest is the first significant immigration enforcement action on Columbia property since Ph.D. student Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who was involved in organizing pro-Palestinian protests on campus, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in his university dormitory building in March 2025.

Khalil was in federal custody for more than three months and missed the birth of his first child before he was released. DHS has said that he will be rearrested and deported to Algeria, which his attorneys have disputed, pointing to an ongoing appeals process in his case.

In a second news release on Thursday, Columbia officials said they were deploying more of the university’s public safety patrols to residential buildings and instructing staff not to allow law enforcement into buildings without the university’s public safety staff present and legal guidance from the university’s general counsel. The university also said it is hosting webinars on “immigration policy and the law” for students, faculty and staff on Thursday and Friday.

MS NOW observed helicopters circling above the Morningside Heights campus on Thursday afternoon, and students protesting outside the main gates.

Dorothy Whalen contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.