Zohran Mamdani, the incoming mayor of New York City, has released a guide for immigrants on how to legally resist federal enforcement raids, deepening the standoff with the Trump administration.
New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is drawing a line in the sand. He’s telling immigrant residents not to talk to federal agents and not to open their doors unless they’re shown a judicial warrant. His message, delivered in a video released Sunday (7 December), comes on the heels of a controversial raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Manhattan. “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights,” Mr Mamdani said, promising to protect the city’s three million immigrants.
The video dropped just days after federal agents tried to detain people on Canal Street near Chinatown. That operation didn’t go smoothly. Local protesters showed up and physically blocked government vehicles. It was the second raid in the area in recent weeks, and tensions are clearly rising.
Mr Mamdani, who becomes the city’s first Muslim mayor when he’s sworn in on 1 January, laid out some practical advice. ICE agents “cannot enter private spaces like a home, school, or private area of a workplace” without a warrant signed by a judge, he explained. He also dropped a warning that might surprise some people: agents are legally allowed to lie during interrogations. But here’s the thing, he stressed. You have the right to stay silent. And you can film the whole thing.
This puts the mayor-elect on a direct collision course with the federal government. President Donald Trump has been ramping up immigration enforcement in major cities lately, calling it essential for national security.
“New York is and always will be a city for all immigrants. I will fight each and every day to protect, support, and celebrate our immigrant brothers and sisters,” Mr Mamdani said in his video.
He also offered tactical advice: “If you’re being detained, you may always ask, ‘Am I free to go?’ repeatedly until they answer you.”
Federal officials aren’t backing down. An ICE spokesperson defended their operations, saying the agency goes after “criminal illegal aliens” who threaten public safety. They pointed to recent arrests of people convicted of serious crimes.
What’s playing out in New York reflects a much bigger national fight. Cities like New York have “sanctuary” policies that limit how much they cooperate with federal deportation efforts. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to actually arrest local officials who get in ICE’s way.
Mr Mamdani, a democratic socialist who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, has made immigrant rights central to his political identity. His confrontational approach marks a real shift from how the previous administration handled things, which was more cautious, more careful.
Once Mr Mamdani takes office in January, expect the legal and political battles over immigration enforcement to get a lot more intense. He’s already promised that the New York Police Department won’t help ICE with civil immigration matters. That’s going to set up some serious jurisdictional fights in the new year.
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