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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said President Donald Trump informed him that a Columbia University student detained by ICE would be released imminently after the two spoke following a previously unscheduled White House meeting Thursday.
Mamdani wrote on X about Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, who he said was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier in the day.
“Just got off the phone with President Trump,” he wrote. “In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He just informed me that she will be released imminently.”
The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital that agents detained Aghayeva, who it said was in the country illegally.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani meets with President Trump at the White House, Thursday. (Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani via X)
“ICE arrested Elmina Aghayeva, an illegal alien from Azerbaijan, whose student visa was terminated in 2016 under the Obama administration for failing to attend classes,” a DHS spokesperson said. “The building manager and her roommate let officers into the apartment. She has no pending appeals or applications with DHS.”
Columbia University said Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a residential building at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time and detained a student.
“Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a ‘missing person.’ We are working to gather more details,” the university said in a statement. “It is important to reiterate that all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University, including housing, classrooms, and areas requiring CUID swipe access. An administrative warrant is not sufficient.”
The mayor met with Trump at the White House earlier Thursday for a previously unscheduled visit, where the two were expected to discuss immigration and housing issues affecting New York City, according to the New York Post.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference in Morningside Heights in New York City, Wednesday. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Mamdani last visited Trump in the White House in November 2025, shortly after he won the mayoral election.
The pair shocked both sides of the aisle with their cordial demeanor during the meeting, with Trump downplaying Mamdani’s previous attacks on the president.
“We have one thing in common,” Trump said at the time. “We want this city of ours that we love to do very well. And I wanted to congratulate the mayor. He really ran an incredible race against, you know, a lot of smart people, starting with the early primaries against some very tough people, very smart people. And he beat them, and he beat them easily.
“I congratulated him, and we talked about some things in very strong common, like housing and getting housing built and food and prices.”
Ahead of the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Mamdani a “communist” while remarking that Trump’s doors are open to any U.S. leader no matter the political party.
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President Donald Trump and Mayor-Elect of New York City Zohran Mamdani during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 21, 2025. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Trump remained seated during his press event in the Oval Office after their meeting, while Mamdani stood by his side and fielded a handful of questions. The pair shared a hopeful outlook for the future, with Trump arguing that, despite their political differences, they will work together and also share a handful of priorities, namely affordability and lowering the cost of living for Americans.
The president predicted Mamdani “is going to surprise some conservative people, actually, and some very liberal people.”
Reporters at the time pressed Mamdani about whether he still believed Trump was a fascist.
“I’ve spoken about …” Mamdani began to answer before Trump said, “That’s OK. You can just say yes.”
“OK, all right,” Mamdani continued.
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“It’s easier. It’s … it’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind,” Trump added.
Fox News’ Emma Colton and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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