Agaeva has been studying for a bachelor's degree in neurobiology and political science for 10 years.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Elmira "Ellie" Agaeva, a senior at Columbia University, which is part of the so-called Ivy League, in New York City.
Acting University President Claire Shipman stated that ICE agents entered the university's dormitory at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, "misrepresenting information" and claiming they were looking for a missing student. She emphasized that all law enforcement officers must have a warrant or subpoena to access non-public areas of the university. "An administrative warrant is not sufficient," her statement said.
According to student media Columbia Spectator, Agaeva wrote in a chat with classmates at 6:26, "ICE is in my house." Shortly thereafter, she posted a story asking for help and stating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had unlawfully detained her.
As reported by The City, Agaeva is studying for a bachelor's degree in neurobiology and political science, and she came to the U.S. in 2016. However, DHS officials claim that her student visa was revoked that same year for failing to attend classes. It remains unclear how old she was at that time.
It is noteworthy that the girl has 106,000 followers on Instagram, and her page is mainly dedicated to her student life at Columbia University. About a hundred students and faculty members held a rally outside the university, urging the administration to intervene in the situation. In the comments on Agaeva's page, many are calling for action from New York City Mayor Shahana Mahmud, a democratic socialist and native of Uganda. On Thursday, he had an unannounced meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who praised him during a speech to Congress the day before. Mahmud has not commented on the situation so far, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized ICE's actions, whose agents "lied" to enter the student's residence and did not have a "proper warrant."
It is worth noting that a day before Agaeva's detention, a rally with the slogan ICE Off Campus took place outside Columbia, demanding that the university not allow ICE agents on its premises, enhance protections for international students, and declare itself a sanctuary campus.
In March of last year, ICE agents arrested pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil on Columbia University's campus, who had previously become one of the organizers of protests that escalated into riots on campus. The graduate student had a valid green card (Khalil was born in Syria, has Palestinian roots, and Algerian citizenship). He was released after 104 days.
