Columbia Student Detained by ICE Released After Mamdani–Trump Meeting

The New York City mayor says Trump agreed to free Elmina Aghayeva hours after she was detained in the early morning at university housing.

Columbia University neuroscience student Ellie Aghayeva is escorted to her apartment with her face covered, after being detained by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security in New York, on Feb. 26, 2026. Ryan Murphy/Getty Images

A Columbia University student arrested by federal agents Thursday morning in a university-owned residential building was released later in the day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump in Washington.

Mamdani visited the White House on Feb. 26 for a previously scheduled meeting, where he discussed with Trump Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva’s detention. The mayor also requested the administration dismiss the cases of four additional students at the meeting.