The detention of Elmina Aghayeva, an Azerbaijani student at Columbia University in the USA, by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has caused widespread resonance in the country.
According to Modern.az, a number of new details regarding the incident have been disclosed.
According to information, Elmina Aghayeva was detained around 6 AM in a residential building on the university campus. According to the US press, ICE officers presented themselves as “police officers searching for a missing five-year-old girl” when entering the building. It is reported that they were seen on surveillance cameras with a photo of the said child. It is further alleged that they then proceeded to the student's room under the same pretext.
Columbia University President Claire Shipman stated that the agents entered the building without a court order. It was emphasized that university public safety officers requested a warrant from them, but no document was presented, and despite requests for time to contact the administration, this was not permitted. Shipman noted that entering the building by posing as an employee of another agency is a violation of protocol and unacceptable. According to her, entry into buildings on university premises absolutely requires a court order or an official summons.
The incident caused a strong reaction from Democratic politicians and local officials in New York. Manhattan District Representative Brad Hoylman-Sigal stated that ICE officers deliberately misled campus security to enter the student's apartment, and this constitutes a serious violation of civil rights. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, in turn, said that ICE operations in schools and universities create fear and distrust in the community.
State Governor Kathy Hochul sharply criticized the detention, announcing that she had proposed a bill prohibiting ICE from conducting operations in “sensitive locations” such as schools, universities, and dormitories, and called for the urgent adoption of the document. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also called the arrest “unacceptable.”
The issue was raised on February 26 during a meeting between New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and US President Donald Trump at the White House. The Mayor brought up the cases of four detained migrants, including Elmina Aghayeva, during the meeting intended for discussing the housing accessibility program. According to information, Trump accepted the appeal and issued instructions for the release of those individuals.
Official bodies have not provided detailed statements regarding the reason for Elmina Aghayeva's detention and her immigration status. The university administration declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy principles.
It should be noted that Elmina Aghayeva is known for her active presence on social networks. She shares videos related to student life and her educational experience in the USA, and has over 113 thousand followers on the TikTok platform and over 107 thousand on Instagram. It is reported that upon her detention, she made a social media post with the content “ICE illegally detained me, please help.”
