Trump Orders Release of Detained Columbia Student After White House Appeal by NYC Mayor Mamdani

US President Donald Trump has ordered the release of a Columbia University student detained by immigration agents following a direct appeal from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during talks at the White House on Thursday.

The student, Elmina Aghayeva, was arrested earlier in the day after federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a residential building at Columbia University without a warrant and under false pretences, according to the university’s acting president, Claire Shipman.

Mamdani said he raised the case directly with Trump during an unannounced meeting in Washington, where he had travelled to seek federal funding for affordable housing projects in the Queens borough of New York City. Shortly after the meeting, the mayor announced that the president had agreed to Aghayeva’s immediate release.

“He has just informed me that she will be released imminently,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X.

Aghayeva later confirmed her release on Instagram, writing: “I just got out a little while ago. I am safe and okay.”

In a video statement, Shipman said the agents gained access to the building by claiming they were police officers searching for a missing child, adding that university security footage showed the agents displaying photos of an alleged missing child in the hallway before detaining the student.

“This was a frightening and fast-moving situation, and utterly unacceptable for our students and staff,” Shipman said.

The episode marks another high-profile interaction between Trump and Mamdani, whose previously tense political relationship has shifted toward cautious cooperation. Observers say the incident highlights ongoing concerns over immigration enforcement tactics and federal authority on university campuses, while underscoring the growing political influence of city leaders in national policy debates.