Espaillat Statement on the Release of Elaina Aghayeva

NEW YORK-- Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following statement on the release of Elaina Aghayeva: 

"Throughout today, my office worked closely with Ms. Aghayeva's loved ones, attorneys, Mayor Mamdani's team and countless others to collect information and escalate our shared efforts to secure her release. We are pleased to share that Ms. Aghayeva is now at home with her closest friends.   

The agents who apprehended Ms. Aghayeva blatantly abused the public trust by using a ruse to execute her detention. Their actions are a clear example of why state and local law enforcement agencies refuse to work with ICE. Community trust and partnership are essential to effective and safe policing, both for residents and officers — federal immigration enforcement has once again violated that trust.  

Naturally, Ms. Aghayeva has been shaken by today's events. This most recent episode of Trump's America trauma campaign is merely another snapshot of the consequences that their breathless, illegal targeting has on goodhearted, innocent individuals like Ms. Aghayeva — and our communities at large. These actions by the administration fail to uphold the values of our nation and must stop immediately."

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov