New York — The 911 call came in at 6:32 a.m. Thursday: Two “suspicious” men wearing dark clothing were inside a Columbia University apartment building.
But when New York Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene, they encountered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the middle of a chaotic operation. An unusually complex process.
According to a statement later released by Columbia, agents gained access to the building by posing as police searching for a 5-year-old — going so far as to present a “missing child” flyer to a campus safety officer.
The ruse allowed them to gain access to the apartment of Elli Aghayeva, an international student from Azerbaijan who immigration officials claim overstayed her visa. A department spokesman said NYPD officers arrived after the men entered her apartment. They confirmed that the men were federal agents, then quickly left the building.
The arrest sparked widespread criticism and calls for Democrats to investigate, as well as a surprise intervention by President Donald Trump. Republican New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani informed Agayeva was released shortly after her meeting with the Democratic mayor on Thursday.
As new details emerged, the operation also threatened to open a rift between the city’s police department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose agents were becoming increasingly numerous. He wore a disguise From utility workers, delivery drivers and other uniformed professionals to carry out Trump’s sweeping deportation campaign.
Although such tactics are not illegal, former police officers said the apparent misrepresentation in Colombia represents a stunning escalation, one that could seriously undermine public confidence during the next state of emergency.
“If the police were actually looking for a child in danger, people would now be more hesitant to help,” said Michael Alcazar, a retired NYPD hostage negotiator. “Almost immediately, this type of ICE shenanigans will make police officers’ jobs much more difficult.”
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin disputed parts of the university’s account, claiming that federal agents “verbally identified themselves and visibly wore badges around their necks” and were let into the building by a property manager.
McLaughlin did not respond to repeated questions about whether agents used the guise of a missing child to enter the apartment.
Claire Shipman, the university’s acting president, said Thursday that security cameras “caught agents in the lobby showing photos of the alleged missing child,” adding that the situation was “completely unacceptable.”
Colombia has so far refused to publish the footage.
The NYPD also declined to share body camera footage of their response. A department spokesman said the officers followed the law by not interfering with an active federal investigation.
Agayeva’s arrest sparked protests in Colombia, along with fear and confusion.
Her friends said she was in her final semester on an international student visa, studying neuroscience and politics. In an emergency motion filed Thursday, her lawyers wrote that she was not given a reason for the arrest.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said Aghayeva’s visa was terminated in 2016 for not attending classes. The spokesman said that she is still under deportation proceedings despite her release.
Research has shown that deceptive tactics used by police are more likely to harm the legitimacy of law enforcement when they lead to an arrest that is “perceived as unjustified,” said Jeffrey Fagan, a Columbia University law professor who studies police.
He added: “Anyone who looks at this will immediately think it is unjustified.” “So it will erode trust in the relevant community the next time officers need to cooperate.”
Peter Moskos, a criminal justice professor at John Jay University and a former Baltimore City police officer, agrees. He noted that sanctuary policies were originally intended to promote public safety by building trust between immigrant communities and police.
“The idea is that you trust the cops and call them when you need them and know that you won’t get deported,” he said. “But ICE appears to be doing everything it can to undermine trust.”