Mamdani Boosts NYC Immigrant Protections Amid Trump Crackdown
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has signed an executive order that enhances protections for immigrants against federal enforcement, reinforcing the city’s existing sanctuary policies through a set of new restrictions. The order explicitly forbids federal agents from utilizing city parking lots and garages as staging areas or operational bases without possessing a judicial warrant. An interagency committee is established to coordinate citywide crisis response, while also prohibiting the sharing of New Yorkers’ private data with US immigration authorities without legal justification. “Day after day, we bear witness to cruelty that staggers the conscience,” Mamdani stated on Friday.
“Masked agents paid by our own tax dollars violate the Constitution and visit terror upon our neighbours.” Mamdani is strengthening initiatives to protect immigrants as President Donald Trump’s enforcement measures provoke widespread outrage, which escalated last month following the fatal shooting of two US citizens by federal agents during protests in Minneapolis. The mayor, a democratic socialist recognized for his progressive policies, stated that the order will mandate Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to present judicial warrants prior to entering city property, which encompasses hospitals and schools.
The new measures formalize the “Trump-proofing” strategy that Mamdani outlined in December, during which he released a video encouraging undocumented immigrants to deny entry to immigration enforcement agents, maintain silence, and legally document any interactions. During the interfaith meeting, Mamdani’s office provided pamphlets in various languages to faith leaders, aimed at assisting their congregations in knowing how to respond if ICE agents show up. His order also instructs the New York Police Department, Department of Correction, and Department of Probation to conduct 90-day audits of their immigration enforcement policies. New York City has upheld sanctuary policies since the 1980s, when Mayor Ed Koch prohibited city agencies from disclosing immigrant information to federal authorities, except in criminal cases. Although these protections have been maintained by later mayors and established in law, they mainly limited the sharing of information and collaboration with ICE detainer requests.
Mamdani’s directive regarding the utilization of physical infrastructure and the establishment of coordinated crisis response mechanisms is not commonly seen in the majority of the over 200 US cities and counties that have sanctuary policies. Last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a new state law aimed at limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration officials. Hochul’s proposal seeks to overturn provisions that permit federal agencies to deputize local police and prohibit municipal jails from being used for ICE detention.
