Columbia student detained by ICE agents who used 'misrepresentations' to gain ... - amNewYork

ICE agents detained a Columbia University student in a dorm building early Thursday morning, allegedly making “misrepresentations to gain entry to the building,” according to acting Columbia President Claire Shipman.

Shipman wrote in a Feb. 26 message to the school’s community that the university is “working to gather more information, working to reach the family, and providing legal support.” The detention occurred at roughly 6:30 a.m., she wrote.

The acting university president did not provide more information about which residential building the incident took place. A Columbia official declined to provide further comment. Shipman wrote that the university will “update our community as additional information becomes available.”

The agents allegedly purported to be searching for a “missing person” in order to gain access to the building and detain the student, Shipman wrote.

Columbia School of General Studies senior Ellie Aghayeva posted on Instagram stories Thursday morning, “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please help.”

General Studies Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch sent a message to students after Shipman’s email “regarding the detainment of our Columbia GS student, Ellie.”

“I want to impress upon our community the seriousness of this matter. The University is working to provide legal support to our student,” Rosen-Metsch wrote in the message. “I understand that this news will be upsetting and unsettling for our community. I want to reiterate that everyone at the Columbia School of General Studies is here to support you and our international community.”

The University requires all law enforcement officials to have a judicial warrant or a judicial subpoena in order to access non-public areas of the university, including housing, classrooms, and areas that require university swipe access.

Columbia has seven residence halls on its main Morningside Heights campus, but most of its residence halls are located off-campus in the surrounding neighborhood. Residence halls require swipe access to gain entry, and the university’s main gates have been largely closed to non-affiliates since the start of campus protests over the war in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.

International Columbia students, particularly student protestors, have come under heavy scrutiny by President Donald Trump’s administration. In March 2025, ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil, who was a graduate student at the time and who helped lead the spring 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment protests. ICE later arrested Mohsen Mahdawi, an undergraduate student at the time and a protest leader.

Both have since been released from custody, though the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has claimed that Khalil will be rearrested and deported.

In a statement posted to X, City Council Speaker Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) and City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan) condemned the incident and said they have been in touch with the University. Both Menin and Abreu are Columbia alumni.

“ICE has no place in our schools and universities,” Menin wrote in a post co-signed by Abreu. “These activities do not make our city or country safer, but rather drive mistrust and danger. As Columbia College alumni, our hearts are with the community there, and we have been in contact with the University to offer our assistance.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a statement to X criticizing the incident and mentioning her proposed legislation that would ban ICE from entering “sensitive locations” such as schools and dorm buildings.

“Let’s be clear about what happened: ICE agents didn’t have the proper warrant, so they lied to gain access to a student’s private residence,” Hochul wrote.

Spokespeople for Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mamdani has been critical of ICE, even calling for the agency’s abolition, and has been supportive of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia.

In her message to the community, Shipman reminded students, faculty, and staff that, in the case law enforcement agents attempt to gain access to a building, they should “ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting Public Safety.”

Barnard College, a women’s college across the street from Columbia and one of Columbia’s four undergraduate schools, messaged its students, faculty, and staff about the incident in a Thursday morning email. The college reiterated identical protocols for Barnard property.

“As a reminder, if a federal agent attempts to present a subpoena or warrant to you, do not accept it,” Barnard Executive Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer Kelli Murray wrote in the email. “Instead, immediately direct the agent to the Office of General Counsel.”

Spokespeople for DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Updated at 12:13 p.m. on Feb. 26.