New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani posted a video to social media on Sunday explaining immigrants’ rights when encountering U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The video came days after federal agents carried out a raid in Manhattan, prompting demonstrations near the city’s Chinatown neighborhood.
Mamdani, who will be sworn in as mayor on January 1, vowed to protect the city’s 3 million immigrants, stating “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights.” Newsweek has reached out to Mamdani’s office and ICE for comment.
Why It Matters
The video marks an early indication of how Mamdani plans to navigate tensions between New York City’s sanctuary city policies and President Donald Trump administration’s federal immigration enforcement operations.
Mamdani, who will become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, secured 50.4 percent of the vote and defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in both the Democratic primary and general election. Trump has pledged to crack down on sanctuary cities, vowing to withhold federal funds from jurisdictions that refuse compliance with federal immigration actions.
With ICE conducting sweeps in several U.S. cities, the guidance could affect how millions of immigrants in New York respond to federal agents.
What To Know
In the video, Mamdani outlined several key rights available to people encountering ICE agents. He explained that individuals can choose not to speak to federal immigration agents, film them without interfering with their work, and refuse requests to enter private spaces. ICE agents cannot enter homes, schools, or private workplace areas without a judicial warrant signed by a judge, according to Mamdani.
“ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent. If you’re being detained, you may always ask, ‘Am I free to go?’ repeatedly until they answer you,” Mamdani said in the clip.
The guidance comes one week after demonstrators gathered as ICE attempted to detain people on Canal Street near Chinatown. A similar immigration sweep in the same neighborhood last October also met with protests, indicating ongoing tensions between federal enforcement and community resistance.
Mamdani has been highly critical of ICE, describing it as “a rogue agency, one that has no interest in laws, no interest in order” during a June interview. He previously pledged to use mayoral power to stop ICE agents from deporting New York residents and position the city as a model for progressive governance.
However, experts question the practical limits of municipal resistance. Scott Mechkowski, a retired ICE agent who worked for the agency from the mid-1990s until 2019, dismissed Mamdani’s stance as campaign strategy, previously telling Newsweek that mayors cannot stop the federal government from executing its mandated duties.
Weeks before posting the video, Mamdani had what was described as a surprisingly cordial Oval Office meeting with Trump, whose administration is overseeing the current federal immigration enforcement operations.
What People Are Saying
Zohran Mamdani says in the video: “New York will always welcome immigrants, and I will fight each and every day to protect, support, and celebrate our immigrant brothers and sisters.”
Mamdani on resistance against Trump’s immigration plans: “If you want to pursue your promise to create the single largest deportation force in American history, or your promise to persecute and punish your political enemies, then you will have to get through me to do that here in New York City.”
What Happens Next
Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City’s mayor on January 1.
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