DHS detains student after entering building without warrant

Columbia University said a student was detained by federal agents early Thursday; This is the latest sign that President Donald Trump is stepping up immigration enforcement across the country.

The student was picked up by Department of Homeland Security officials from a university-owned housing building around 6:30 a.m., according to an email from the school’s acting president, Claire Shipman, obtained by CNBC.

“Our current understanding is that federal agents used false pretenses to enter the building in search of the ‘missing person,'” Shipman said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Elmina Aghayeva, a DHS official told CNBC. The official identified Aghayeva as an Azerbaijani citizen whose student visa was terminated by the Obama administration in 2016.

“The building manager and the roommate allowed officers into the apartment,” the official said. “He has no objections or applications pending with DHS.”

The student’s name was not mentioned in Shipman’s email. The New York City-based university is gathering more details and trying to contact the student’s family, Shipman said.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal in question A social media post stating that ICE “used a fake missing persons report” on a 5-year-old girl. He said federal agents “intentionally tricked” campus housing and security personnel into entering the student’s apartment.

Thursday’s arrest comes as Trump’s focus on immigration has become a national flashpoint.

Border czar Tom Homan said earlier this month that the administration would slow a surge in enforcement of immigrants in Minnesota, an operation that has sent thousands of agents to the Minneapolis area. The killings of two US citizens by immigration officials in Minnesota this year further fueled the backlash against the White House’s efforts.

All law enforcement requires a judicial warrant or subpoena to enter residence halls and other non-public campus areas, Shipman said in his email. He added that agents seeking to enter private campus areas should wait until the school’s public safety team is contacted.

Columbia has been the center of attention at the White House since Trump returned to office last year.

The Department of Education said in June that the Ivy League school did not meet accreditation standards because it “violated federal anti-discrimination laws.” A month later, Columbia announced it would pay $200 million to the federal government to restore funding cut by the Trump administration.

Columbia student Mahmud Khalil was released last year after months in ICE detention.

The White House referred CNBC to DHS when contacted for comment.