- Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty ImagesEllie Aghayeva – a Columbia University student who was detained early Thursday after the university said federal immigration agents allegedly used false pretenses to enter a campus residential building – has been released, she confirmed on her Instagram account. Ellie Aghayeva, a Columbia University senior, was detained by federal agents on Thursday. Aghayeva’s arrest comes nearly a year after Palestinian activist and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was taken into ICE custody on March 8, 2025. Another Columbia University student, Ranjani Srinivasan, was also detained in March 2025 amid pro-Palestinian protests at Hamilton Hall, even though she maintains she did not participate in the protest. Columbia University said in a post on X that it is “relieved and thrilled” that Aghayeva has been released from detainment.

Source: CNN February 27, 2026 01:52 UTC