Agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered a residential building in the early morning Columbia University and they detained a student, in an operation that the institution described as deceptive. According to the administration, the agents gained access to the property claiming that they were looking for a “missing person“, a version that convinced the building staff and led to entry to the young woman’s apartment.
The detainee was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Elmina Aghayevacitizen of Azerbaijan of 29 years whose visa would have been canceled in 2016.
BREAKING: Columbia student and influencer detained by DHS agents
The arrested student from Azerbaijan, Elmina Aghayeva, wrote in a post on Instagram, “DHS illegally arrested me. Please help.”
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement, “ICE arrested Elmina Aghayeva, an illegal… pic.twitter.com/S2fLRPyTPs
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Her friends, who know her as Elliethey stated that he is in his last year at the School of General Studieswith studies in neuroscience and political science. Moments before being transferred, she posted on social media that she had been “illegally” arrested, a message that multiplied public attention due to her large digital audience.
‘There was no ICE warrant’: Columbia University
The interim president of the institution, Claire Shipmanassured US media that there was no ICE warrant and that Columbia University requires this requirement for any entry into private areas.
Hours later, the mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdanireported that after expressing concerns to the US president about the case, it received notification that Aghayeva would be released “imminently.”
His intervention added political pressure to an episode that New York officials called a possible civil rights violation and a disturbing precedent for security at educational institutions.
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Local officials reported that the agents were carrying identification and a false report of a missing minor. A roommate reportedly opened the apartment door before staff detected the irregularity and alerted internal security.
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