New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is warning federal immigration officials that they could face legal consequences if they continue using city owned parking lots for enforcement operations.
Mamdani, 35, sent a letter to the Trump administration demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stop using municipal parking facilities without permission, according to a report The Guardian published on Monday, November 2.
In the letter, cited by the outlet, the mayor argued that the agency’s use of city property was “unauthorized and is therefore illegal, endangers City residents, and sows fear among those who seek to access City property.”
The mayor called on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE leadership to immediately instruct agents that they cannot use city-owned parking lots to prepare for or carry out immigration operations, per the report.
He also warned that “if your agents continue any unauthorized use of these lots, New York City will take legal action to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property,” the outlet reported.
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According to The Guardian, the dispute follows an earlier effort by Mamdani and more than 100 New York elected officials to discourage private parking garage owners from allowing ICE to use their facilities.
In an October 15 letter sent to more than 1,000 garage owners and operators, Mamdani urged businesses to refuse the agency access.
“I am asking every garage and lot owner in this city to stop giving them that option. Do not rent your property to ICE. Do not lend it to them. Tell them they are not welcome,” he wrote, per the report.
The Department of Homeland Security rejected the mayor’s position, defending the agency’s use of public parking facilities, according to the outlet.
As Globe previously reported, Mamdani shared a Spanish-language video on X in October, explaining New Yorkers’ rights during encounters with ICE agents. The mayor outlined when agents need a judicial warrant to enter private areas and reminded residents of their right to remain silent.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly criticized Mamdani after the mayor called for ICE to be abolished following the shooting of a man by federal agents in New York City. “His words are dangerous and incite hostility,” Mullin, 49, said during an October 9 press conference. He also accused Mamdani of putting “criminals over law-abiding citizens” and questioned who would enforce immigration laws if ICE were eliminated.
According to Gothamist, citing government data, ICE has made more than 19,500 arrests in New York state during President Donald Trump‘s second term.
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