Nyc Mayor Says Trump Agreed To Immediately Release Columbia University Student Seized By Ice

NEW YORK — A Columbia University student was arrested Thursday by national migration agents who claimed to beryllium searching for a “missing person” successful bid to summation entree to a field apartment, according to her attorneys and nan school’s president.

Hours aft she was taken into custody, though, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said successful a social media post that he had discussed nan apprehension during an unrelated gathering pinch President Trump, who agreed to merchandise nan student “immediately.”

The student, Ellie Aghayeva, is simply a elder from Azerbaijan studying neuroscience and governmental science. A self-described contented creator, she has amassed a ample societal media pursuing by sharing day-in-the-life videos and tips for navigating assemblage arsenic an immigrant.

Around 7 a.m., Aghayeva posted a connection to her much than 100,000 followers connected Instagram: “DHS illegally arrested me. Please help.” A photograph accompanying nan station appeared to show nan backseat of a vehicle.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed Aghayeva’s apprehension and said her student visa had been terminated successful 2016 for nonaccomplishment to be classes. The spokesperson didn’t respond to questions astir erstwhile aliases if she would beryllium released.

In an emergency petition, attorneys for Aghayeva said she had entered nan state connected a visa successful aliases astir 2016. They said she was taken into custody early Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who didn’t person a warrant but “represented they were searching for a missing personification to summation entry” to nan university-owned apartment.

She was being held astatine nan national detention halfway successful little Manhattan, nan lawyers wrote. They declined to supply further comment, including specifications astir her migration status.

In an email shared pinch students and staff, nan university’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said that national agents had entered a residential building astir 6:30 a.m., claiming they were seeking a missing person.

She said nan assemblage was successful nan process of reaching retired to nan student’s family and providing ineligible support.

The usage of disguises aliases different misrepresentations by migration authorities has drawn attraction successful caller months, aft national agents were seen posing arsenic inferior workers and different work labor successful Minneapolis and elsewhere.

The believe is legal, successful astir cases. But migration attorneys opportunity specified ruses are becoming progressively common, adding to concerns astir nan Trump administration’s melodramatic reshaping of migration enforcement strategies nationwide.

The incident comes astir 1 twelvemonth aft national agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, past a Columbia postgraduate student and Palestinian activist, wrong his university-owned housing. Khalil is retired connected bail, fighting his ain deportation case.

In nan months aft his arrest, galore students called connected nan assemblage to do much to unafraid nan field from national migration enforcement.

Columbia presently requires that each rule enforcement agents person a judicial warrant aliases lawsuit to entree nonpublic areas of nan university, including housing.

In her email, Shipman said students should not let rule enforcement agents to participate nonpublic areas of nan assemblage and should not judge work of a warrant aliases subpoena, but should telephone field nationalist information instead.

Offenhartz writes for nan Associated Press.