New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani successfully negotiated the imminent release of Elmina Aghayeva, a Columbia University student detained by ICE, during an unannounced meeting with President Donald Trump. University officials revealed that federal agents gained entry to a residential building without a warrant by falsely claiming they were searching for a missing child. Despite their starkly different political backgrounds, the meeting highlighted an ongoing, unexpected collaboration between the Democratic socialist mayor and the Republican president. While the primary goal of Mamdani’s visit was to secure federal funding for affordable housing in Queens, the resolution of this high-profile immigration case became the meeting’s most immediate outcome.
Date: February 27, 2026. Source: france24.com