Overview
- Court records show the case against Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva was dismissed on March 2.
- ICE detained the Azerbaijan-born student inside a Columbia-managed apartment on Feb. 26; she was held about 12 hours and then released.
- DHS says her F-1 visa was revoked in 2016 for failing to attend classes, which it cites as the legal basis for the arrest.
- Columbia’s acting president says agents claimed to be searching for a missing child to gain access, a description DHS disputes, saying officers identified themselves and were admitted by a manager and a roommate.
- On Monday, New York officials called for release of Columbia security video and NYPD body-worn camera footage; Mayor Zohran Mamdani says President Trump told him she would be released imminently.