NYC Students Have Observed A Whirlwind of Events the Last Two Days

The last two days, New York City students have observed a whirlwind of events, and here is a comprehensive recap.

On Feb 25th, Student Workers of Columbia (SWC), and allied pro-Palestine, anti-ICE groups gathered on campus to condemn the atrocious continued detention of Leqaa Kordia, and demand the administration to turn the establishment into a sanctuary campus.

The very next day, early morning, ICE officials disguised as NYPD officers looking for a missing person lied their way into a Columbia-owned residence by their own public safety officials. They arrested Elaina Aghayeva, a General Studies student and took her to the Federal Plaza.

As word got out, organizers, neighbors, students and faculty were joined by Council members and hopeful candidates for Assembly districts in a protest outside the campus. Surrounded by armed NYPD officers and helicopters, the protest continued for two hours. Just as the crowd dissipated, Mayor Mamdani informed citizens on X that he had spoken to Trump and assured Aghayeva’s imminent release.

Later that day, Mamdani’s spokesperson announced that the mayor had also submitted a request to President Trump to dismiss cases against 4 students who were being persecuted for pro-Palestine activism: Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Leqaa Kordia and Yunseo Chung. Out of these students only Kordia remains in detention, spending her second Ramadan in ICE captivity.