"The agents gained entry by stating they were police searching for a missing child. Security cameras captured agents [conducting the arrest]. Early Thursday, five federal agents gained entry to her apartment at 6 a.m. by claiming they were searching for a missing child, according to a petition from her lawyers and a statement released by Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman."
"I am safe and okay. Aghayeva wrote on Instagram, minutes after Mamdani's post, adding she was in complete shock from the experience. Just hours after detaining student Ellie Aghayeva, though, the federal government abruptly reversed course, permitting her to walk free after an apparent intervention by President Donald Trump."
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he expressed concerns about the arrest during an unrelated meeting with Trump, who then agreed to release her immediately. On Thursday, while pitching Trump on a massive housing project, Mamdani also called on the president to drop cases against several other current and former students facing deportation for their roles in protests against Israel."
Federal immigration agents arrested Columbia University senior Ellie Aghayeva early Thursday morning by falsely claiming to search for a missing child to gain entry to her university-owned residence. The arrest triggered campus protests and raised concerns about the deceptive tactics used. However, within hours, the federal government reversed course and released her after Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised concerns about the arrest during an unrelated meeting with President Trump. Aghayeva, a neuroscience and politics student from Azerbaijan, had not been publicly linked to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The incident reflects the unusual relationship between Trump and Mamdani, a democratic socialist whom Trump previously threatened to deport.
#immigration-enforcement #columbia-university #deceptive-arrest-tactics #presidential-intervention #student-detention
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