U.S. President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani shake hands as they meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 21, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani secured the release of a Columbia University student taken by the Department of Homeland Security after a phone call with President Donald Trump.
On Thursday morning, Claire Shipman, acting president of the university, said agents had misled staff about a missing person to gain access to the student, who was later identified as Ellie Aghayeva.
“DHS illegally arrested me. Please help," the student said in a one-second video recorded from the back of a vehicle.
The New York Times described the incident as a "significant escalation of immigration enforcement on Columbia’s campus."
By Thursday afternoon, Mamdani announced that he had spoken with Trump.
"Just got off the phone with President Trump," the mayor wrote on X. "In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning."
"He has just informed me that she will be released imminently," he added.
Report typos and corrections to corrections@rawstory.com.
For customer support contact support@rawstory.com.
