Trump, Mamdani meet again to discuss housing, ICE detentions

New York – (Web Desk) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had a productive meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, where they discussed key issues like housing and student detentions by federal immigration authorities.

This marked their second meeting since Mamdani won the mayoral election late last year. Mamdani, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, have often expressed opposing views, but their discussions have been surprisingly cordial.

Mamdani shared a photo with Trump on social media, writing, “I had a productive meeting with President Trump this afternoon. I’m looking forward to building more housing in New York City.”

During the meeting, Mamdani raised concerns about the detention of Columbia University student Elmina Aghayeva from Azerbaijan by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump later informed him that she would be “released imminently.” Following this, the federal Homeland Security Department confirmed her release and began removal proceedings.

Despite their differing political positions, both leaders continue to engage in constructive dialogue, building on the unexpectedly friendly tone of their first meeting in November.

In that meeting too, they spoke about bringing down the price of housing. A former real estate developer, Trump had brightened at Mamdani’s call for more housing in New York.

Making housing more affordable has been one of Trump’s pledges ahead of the midterm elections in late 2026 as prices for housing remain significantly higher than they were a few years ago. Cost of living and affordability were also issues at the heart of Mamdani’s mayoral victory.

Trump reiterated his pledge in his State of the Union speech this week and has announced some policies aimed at addressing the problem. Still, US mortgage rates remain high and the housing supply in most of the country is short of what is needed to meet demand. This leaves the cost of home ownership increasingly out of reach for many families.

Economists and trade groups say Trump’s aggressive trade and immigration policies have raised prices for building materials and appliances and undercut labour supply, making it harder for builders to ramp up housing construction.

Mamdani has criticised Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown, especially his use of ICE agents and deportation attempts, along with the president’s policies towards Israel’s war in Gaza.

Mamdani’s office said he handed a list to the White House of four pro-Palestinian students battling deportation attempts and asked for help to dismiss those cases.

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The four names were Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung, Mohsen Mahdawi and Leqaa Kordia. Kordia, who was recently hospitalised after a seizure in detention and has lost dozens of family members in Gaza, remains detained by ICE while the other three were released over the last year.

Trump has cast pro-Palestinian protesters as antisemitic. Demonstrators, including some Jewish groups, say he wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, as well as their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.