Flyers detailing NYU’s policies against allowing federal agents on campus have popped up around the university over the past two weeks, after a student at Columbia University was detained by federal immigration agents in her dorm. 

The signs, titled, “University Policy for Law Enforcement on Campus,” highlight that federal officers are only allowed in campus buildings for “emergency situations” and must have a signed judicial warrant or subpoena to enter without permission. They also state that NYU will not disclose information about its community members to government agencies “unless it is legally required to do so.” 

University spokesperson Joseph Tirella said that the signs were posted at buildings in addition to being distributed to university leadership to reinforce NYU’s policies and protocols if law enforcement agents are present on campus.

“Our international community is part of the fabric of NYU,” Tirella wrote in a statement to WSN. “Our Campus Safety Officers are trained on these protocols, know them well, and are regularly reminded of them. We have also reached out to our international students, scholars and employees to reaffirm our support and update them on these efforts.”

Less than two weeks ago, Elmina Aghayeva, a Columbia student from Azerbaijan, was detained by ICE agents who entered her residence hall “without any kind of warrant” — according to Columbia’s acting president Claire Shipman — by claiming they were New York Police Department officers searching for a missing person. The Department of Homeland Security said that Aghayeva, who is also a popular social media influencer, was arrested for holding a terminated international student visa.

Several students told WSN that they had not seen or heard about the flyers around campus, and were unaware of the university’s policy on law enforcement presence in campus buildings. The flyers can be found in Manhattan and Brooklyn residence halls such as Lafayette Hall, Alumni and Othmer Hall, as well as academic buildings across campus.

Some students, including first-year graduate student Afnan Akinyele, criticized NYU’s lack of communication about its policies regarding law enforcement on campus. Akinyele said that a universitywide email advising students on what to do if law enforcement attempts to enter NYU buildings would have been more effective than putting up flyers.

“The only thing I got was the blizzard, and not necessarily about safety issues or safety regulations,” Akinyele said. “I don’t think the flyer is enough.”

Tirella directed WSN to NYU’s guidelines on law enforcement presence online, which were reissued Tuesday to break down the policies into more detail than the initial press release published February 2025. The statement emphasizes that because many of the areas around NYU’s campus, such as Washington Square Park, are public spaces, law enforcement may conduct local operations without the school’s awareness. 

When NYU released its first set of guidelines on law enforcement on campus, an NYU spokesperson said the university would “comply with the law” amidst the second Trump administration’s initial efforts on immigration crackdown. This came shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking pro-Palestinian protesters’ student visas in efforts to “combat antisemitism.” 

A masters student in public health, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, told WSN that the university could also spread awareness about policies surrounding law enforcement on campus through student organizations, especially ones focused on students’ wellbeing. The student also expressed worry about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s increased presence on college campuses. 

“I don’t really feel super comfortable on any campus because of everything that’s happened in the last year,” the student said.

Contact Selin Kemiktarak at [email protected].