NPR Clarifies ICE Agents' Motivations in Columbia Student Arrest
A recent change to an NPR article about the arrest and release of a Columbia University student by ICE agents reveals new details about the circumstances surrounding the detention. The article initially stated that agents entered the student's apartment 'under false pretenses,' but this phrase has been replaced with more specific information: that agents posed as police officers searching for a missing child. This change provides clarity on the nature of the alleged deception and highlights the severity of the situation. The alteration also suggests that the student's lawyers and the university's acting president are pointing to a specific instance of misconduct by the agents. The change matters to readers because it gives a more detailed understanding of the events leading to the student's detention and the potential implications for the university community.
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The Associated Press
A New York City police officer keeps watch on the campus of Columbia University in New York on May 6, 2024.
In a social media post Thursday afternoon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he expressed concerns about the arrest during an unrelated meeting with Trump, who then agreed to release her immediately.
"I am safe and okay," Aghayeva wrote on Instagram, minutes after Mamdani's post, adding she was in "complete shock" from the experience.
Interview highlights 'They wanted to separate me from my family': Mahmoud Khalil speaks after ICE release 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.
Aghayeva, a senior from Azerbaijan studying neuroscience and politics, hasn't been publicly linked to any of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that roiled Columbia's campus. A self-described content creator, she has amassed a large social media following by sharing day-in-the-life videos and tips for navigating college as an immigrant.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Aghayeva's student visa had been terminated in 2016 for failing to attend classes. Inquiries to Columbia about her visa status and how long she had been enrolled in the university were not returned.
In their petition, attorneys for Aghayeva said she had entered the country on a visa in or around 2016. They declined to provide additional comment, including details about her immigration status.
The use of disguises or other misrepresentations by immigration authorities has drawn attention in recent months, after federal agents were seen posing as utility workers and other service employees in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
The practice is legal, in most cases. But immigration attorneys say such ruses are becoming increasingly common, adding to concerns about the Trump administration's dramatic reshaping of immigration enforcement tactics nationwide.
In recent weeks, Trump has once again intensified his attacks on several universities, including Harvard and UCLA.
"The idea that secret police would abduct and imprison students in our midst is something we'd expect from an authoritarian regime."
Many students and faculty called on Columbia to increase protections for international students following the arrest last March of Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, whose deportation case remains ongoing.
"Do not allow them to enter non-public areas or accept service of a warrant or subpoena."
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− Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
NEW YORK — Federal immigration authorities arrested a Columbia University student early Thursday, triggering protests on campus along with allegations that agents had entered the university-owned residence under false pretenses.
+ Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
NEW YORK — Federal immigration authorities arrested a Columbia University student early Thursday, triggering protests on campus and allegations that agents gained entry to the university-owned residence by posing as police officers searching for a missing child.
− Just hours after detaining student Ellie Aghayeva, though, the federal government abruptly reversed course, permitting her to walk free after the apparent intervention by President Donald Trump.
+ 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.
− The head-spinning sequence of events showed that Mamdani and Trump can find common ground, despite the Republican president's past threat to deport the democratic socialist and defund New York City if he was elected mayor.
+ The head-spinning series of events marked the latest consequence of the unlikely relationship between the Republican president and Mamdani, a democratic socialist who Trump once threatened to have deported.
− Early Thursday, federal agents gained entry to her apartment by claiming they were searching for a missing person, according to a petition from her lawyers and a statement released by Columbia.
+ Early Thursday, five federal agents gained entry to her apartment at 6 a.m.
− She quickly dashed off a message to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram: "DHS illegally arrested me.
+ 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.
"The agents gained entry by stating they were police searching for a missing child," Shipman said in a video released Thursday night.
− Please help." A photo accompanying the post appeared to show her legs in the backseat of a vehicle.
+ "Security cameras captured agents in a hallway showing pictures of the alleged missing child."
Aghayeva then dashed off a message to her more than 100,000 followers on Instagram: "DHS illegally arrested me. Please help." A photo accompanying the post appeared to show her legs in the back seat of a vehicle.
− A spokesperson for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, denied allegations levied by some state officials that agents had gained entry to her apartment by posing as New York City police officers. She didn't respond to questions about whether they had claimed to be seeking a missing person.
+ A spokesperson for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, said Aghayeva had been placed in removal proceedings and "released while she waits for her hearing." She disputed allegations that agents had posed as New York City police officers but didn't respond to questions about whether they had claimed to be seeking a missing child.
− The arrest would seem to mark the first federal enforcement action against at Columbia since the university agreed to pay more than $220 million to the administration over the summer.
+ The arrest would seem to mark the first federal enforcement action at Columbia since the university agreed to pay more than $220 million to the administration over the summer.
− "It's a horrifying sign that the roving eye of the administration is turning back to Columbia," said Michael Thaddeus, a professor at Columbia and vice president of the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has sued Trump.
+ "It's a horrifying sign that the roving eye of the administration is turning back to Columbia," said Michael Thaddeus, a mathematics professor at Columbia and vice president of the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has sued Trump.
− In an email to the Columbia community Thursday, acting president Claire Shipman said that residential staff had been reminded not to allow federal law enforcement into university buildings without a subpoena or warrant.
+ In an email to the Columbia community Thursday, Shipman said that residential staff had been reminded not to allow federal law enforcement into university buildings without a subpoena or warrant.
− "If you encounter or observe DHS/ICE agents conducting enforcement activities on or near campus, immediately contact Public Safety," Shipman wrote.
+ "If you encounter or observe DHS/ICE agents conducting enforcement activities on or near campus, immediately contact Public Safety," the acting president wrote.