Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva released from ICE detainment
Students are seen on the campus of Columbia University in New York City on April 14, 2025. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images Federal authorities released Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva on Thursday afternoon, hours after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a university residential hall in New York City and took the native of Azerbaijan into custody, the school said. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani earlier said President Donald Trump had called to tell him that Aghayeva would be released following a meeting at the White House, where the mayor had urged the president to set her free. Aghayeva was arrested by ICE agents at around 6:30 a.m. in Manhattan. Columbia University’s acting president, Claire Shipman, accused ICE of entering university property under false pretenses. “Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person,’ ” and then detained Aghayeva, Shipman said in an email obtained by CNBC. All law enforcement agents require a judicial warrant or subpoena to …
