"The first indication of the inexplicable arrest was a post by the 29-year-old on Instagram just half an hour after the operation, with a photograph that showed her in the back of the vehicle in which ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents had put her. Several factors immediately cast doubts over Aghayeva's arrest, not just her quick social media post."
"But even more suspicious was the young woman's profile: an influencer specializing in lifestyle, beauty, and study techniques who had never written a single word on social media about the Gaza war or in defense of the Palestinian cause. Unlike activist Mahmoud Khalil, arrested as part of the government crackdown on campuses a year ago, and the dozen or so students who followed him, Aghayeva, with 114,000 Instagram followers, had never taken a political stance."
"The third clue that definitively confirmed it had been a mistake or perhaps just overzealousness was her release a few hours later, through the intervention of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who spoke to Trump, with whom he had coincidentally met that same morning."
Elmina Aghayeva, a 29-year-old Azerbaijani neuroscience and politics student at Columbia University, was arrested by ICE agents on February 26 in the early morning hours at her campus residence. Her arrest appeared unjustified given her profile as a lifestyle and beauty influencer with no political activism or statements regarding Gaza or Palestinian causes. The arrest occurred during a period of relative calm following campus protest crackdowns. Aghayeva was released within hours after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani intervened and spoke with Trump, whom he had met that morning. Her case contrasts sharply with activist Mahmoud Khalil, who remained detained for three months following similar circumstances.
Read at english.elpais.com
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