Division of Homeland Safety brokers took a Columbia College pupil into custody after posing as NYPD officers — full with pretend badges — to achieve entry to campus housing, officers stated.
The raid was launched on the elite faculty’s Morningside Heights campus round 6:30 a.m. Thursday, with brokers making “misrepresentations” to entry the scholar’s condo and take her into custody, Columbia’s appearing President Claire Shipman stated in a letter to the college neighborhood.
“We’re working to collect extra data, working to achieve the household, and offering authorized assist.”
The operation concerned an unknown variety of brokers, who reportedly instructed campus safety officers they have been investigating a lacking individuals case involving a 5-year-old lady.
The arrested pupil, Elmina Aghayeva, who’s slated to graduate this yr, wrote in a shocking submit on Instagram, “Dhs illegally arrested me. Please assist” captioned over what seems to be a POV-style picture of a lady’s thighs from the again of a automobile.
“ICE arrested Elmina Aghayeva, an unlawful alien from Azerbaijan, whose pupil visa was terminated in 2016 beneath the Obama administration for failing to attend lessons,” a DHS spokesperson stated in assertion to The Put up.
“The constructing supervisor and her roommate let officers into the condo. She has no pending appeals or purposes with DHS,” the assertion concluded.
The company didn’t reply to follow-up requests for remark in regards to the claims brokers introduced themselves as cops on the hunt for a lacking youngster, a tactic Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal condemned.
“ICE brokers impersonated NYPD with pretend badges and a phony lacking individuals bulletin for a 5 yr outdated lady,” he fumed on X.
“They purposefully deceived campus housing/safety to achieve entry to the scholar’s condo. The extent of civil rights violations that happened is staggering.”
Though it was not instantly clear why the feds detained the scholar, the incident echoes final yr’s bust of anti-Israel activist and Columbia grad pupil Mahmoud Khalil, who ICE arrested at his university-owned condo in March 2025 in connection to riotous protests each at Columbia and Barnard Faculty.
Khalil, whom the federal government declare is a Hamas supporter, spent greater than three months in a Louisiana ICE detention facility and is now slated to be deported to Algeria after a yearlong authorized saga.
Shipman, whose controversial one-year tenure on the helm of the Ivy League is winding down as Jennifer Mnookin is ready to interchange her July 1, wrote in her letter that any legislation enforcement brokers trying to entry sure elements of campus should comply with process.
“If legislation enforcement brokers search entry to private areas of the College, ask the brokers to attend to enter any private areas till contacting Public Security. Public Security will contact the Workplace of the Common Counsel to coordinate the College’s response,” she wrote.
“Don’t enable them to enter or settle for service of a warrant or subpoena.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul additionally ripped DHS on social media, and stated she had proposed a brand new piece of laws in response.
“Let’s be clear about what occurred: ICE brokers didn’t have the right warrant, so that they lied to achieve entry to a pupil’s personal residence,” the governor wrote on X.
“I’ve proposed a invoice that will ban ICE from coming into delicate areas like faculties and dorms. Let’s get it handed now.”
