- Zohran Mamdani held unannounced White House meeting
- Trump and mayor discussed proposed New York housing projects
- Mamdani raised detention of Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva
- Aghayeva released after ICE detained her on campus
Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, broke a secret meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the white house on Thursday, an event that saw two political figures come to a head publicly over the past several months.
The encounter could not be listed on the official schedule of the White House and no press were present in the Oval Office. Mamdani later described the discussion as a fruitful session and stated that he was looking forward to developing additional housing project in New York City, hours afterward.
The mayor issued a photograph showing Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk holding two fake editions of the front pages of the New York Daily News. One was a recreation of the 1975 headline of the storey Ford to City: Drop Dead, and the other was the recreation of the headline Trump to City: Let's Build with the president as a supporter of a new era of housing.
The fake front cover had smaller typing that said: Trump Delivers 12,000+ Homes; most since 1973. According to City Hall spokeswoman Anna Bahr, Mamdani offered them a couple of pitches which would create and build more housing in fewer projects than it has occurred since 50 years ago. There were no immediate details given concerning the extent of the proposed developments, their funding, and their timeline.
Housing Proposals and Federal Role
According to the office of the mayor, the discussion was more about housing production in New York City where there have been long-term affordability stressors and supply challenges. Federal cooperation is commonly needed on large-scale housing initiatives that include funding, land use, or regulatory exemptions.
Although each party did not provide details, the picture of the fake newspaper indicated an attempt to project the meeting as visionary and geared towards construction goals. Not even the White House issued an immediate statement regarding the discussions. New York City depends much on the federal sources of funding on housing, transport, and social services.
City-federal collaboration can have an effect on access to grants, tax incentives, and infrastructure approvals. It was the at least the second such Oval Office meeting between Mamdani a democratic socialist, and Trump, a Republican president who has often criticised Democratic-controlled cities regarding their immigration and police safety policies.
Immigration Issue Emerge
The visit also overlapped with an immigration case of a Columbia University student. Mamdani did so later on the X after departing the White House, stating that he had questioned Columbia university student Elaina Aghayeva, who had previously been detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the day.
'At the meeting we had earlier, I raised the issue of Columbia student Elaina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. Now it is about to release her, as he has informed me a few moments just now', Mamdani wrote. Aghayeva was later released. Thursday morning, federal agents had broken into a residential building on the Manhattan campus of Columbia University. Columbia alleged that the immigration officials lied to obtain access to the building so as to arrest her.
This response was made by Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman: "What we know so far is that the federal agents used fake representations to infiltrate the building to cheque a missing person. Finding out more information.
She included instructions to the staff: In case the law enforcement agents request access to the non-public areas of the University, request the agents to wait before entering non-public areas to call Public Safety. The Office of the General Counsel will be contacted by Public Safety in order to organise an response of the University. Keep them not in admission to or as the service of a warrant or subpoena.
According to the Department of Homeland Security
in a statement to the Columbia Daily Spectator, Aghayeva has been denied entry on immigration grounds in 2016 because of classification failure to go to school.
The roommate and building manager gave officers a chance to enter the apartment. The statement stated that she is not waiting on any appeals or applications with DHS. The white house was silent on the housing talks and the immigration case.
The gathering underscores a shifting working relationship between the mayor of the largest city in the country and the president despite the federal clash on policies regarding immigration enforcement and oversight. No immediate information on other housing initiatives were available or on future follow up activities.
