NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatens ICE with new legal action over use of city property
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is threatening U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with new legal action over the use of city lots.
Mamdani says ICE using those areas for staging is illegal, and an unauthorized use of city property.
"We want to make very clear that we mean what we say when we talk about sanctuary city policies and we talk about the fact that our city will not assist in immigration enforcement. And what we've seen all too often is ICE's flouting of those directives and those laws. And this is a letter to make clear that ICE has no right to use any city property or lots for anti-immigrant operations and that we are willing to go to court if they continue to do so," Mamdani said Monday.
The mayor's office says ICE agents have reportedly parked vehicles and held meetings in a number of city-owned lots, including at Van Cortlandt Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
"No family in New York should fear that going to the park or walking through their neighborhood could mean being torn away from their loved ones," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "I am deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property to carry out aggressive immigration enforcement operations ... I stand with Mayor Mamdani in demanding an end to the unauthorized use of city property for these operations."
"When we say ICE out of New York, we mean it — and we're not going to let this rogue agency use city property to terrorize our city's residents," Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back, saying ICE presence is fully authorized under federal law.
"Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to our brave law enforcement officers for cleaning up the streets of NYC since he won't. Luckily, no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again. We need New York to cooperate with our officers and stop releasing criminals from their jails into New York's neighborhoods. Seven of the 10 safest cities in America cooperate with ICE," a DHS spokesperson said.
