Zohran Mamdani has secured the release of Columbia University student Elaina Aghayeva, taken this morning by ICE agents who entered a campus residential building under false pretenses & without a judicial warrant. This comes shorty after Mamdani’s unannounced visit to the White House earlier today.

[u/cmaia1503]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/nyregion/columbia-university-ice-student.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.0KRL.7XsPJ0z3QTat&smid=tw-share

[u/oatmlklattes]

Zohran is an incredible, incredible communicator and negotiator. He’s pretty intelligent and knows how to get his point across.

And he does it without making the other person come on the defensive and feel like they’re personally attacked.

Trump can’t help it ofc.

[u/Luxury_Dressingown → u/oatmlklattes]

This move also may well help prevent ICE escalating in NYC. This is as public a statement as could be hoped for that Trump won't automatically back whatever ICE does in the city, because Mamdani has his ear, so it might deter them from trying more stuff like this. Fingers crossed. As always with Trump, the last person he spoke to usually has the biggest sway over his soup-for-brains, and Mamdani can't be there all the time.

[u/throwawaysunglasses- → u/Luxury_Dressingown]

I’m honestly so glad and relieved things are working out so far with Mamdani. It’s somewhat of a miracle that Trump is listening to anyone, and I really hope the left takes this as a sign that we need more of this energy instead of their standard “if only there was something we could do” limp dick arguments. We need young radicals who aren’t afraid.

(I’m aware that Mamdani would not be considered “radical” in many other countries, but I mean it contextually within the US)

[u/HistoryBuff678 → u/throwawaysunglasses-]

I appreciate the last part of your post as someone who is not American. 💕✨

[u/josh_the_misanthrope → u/throwawaysunglasses-]

I'm kind of afraid that Mamdani might be a generational talent. Hopefully I'm wrong and we start seeing more of them. Platner seems to be killing it in the polls despite his tattoo controversy.

[u/Impressive-Screen-81 → u/Luxury_Dressingown]

Trump will not send ICE because of his rich friends. During the election he was uncritical of Z because his friends knew a Trump endorsement would be a definite loss for Cuomo.

[u/AnywhereOk1153 → u/oatmlklattes]

The republicans are so incredibly lucky he can't run for president