Henry Rosoff and Emily Rahhal
15 hours ago
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — With expiring immigration protections and a new tax stuck in the courts, uncertainty circles City Hall.
On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani sat down for an exclusive interview with PIX11 News’ Henry Rosoff to discuss wide-ranging topics from the pied-à-terre tax to Temporary Protected Status ending for Haitians and Syrians.
Mamdani responds to pied-à-terre drama
The mayor is appealing a Staten Island judge’s temporary pause on the rollout of the pied-à-terre tax, delivered Monday in court. Despite the legal drama, Mamdani remains undeterred.
“We disagree with the judge’s ruling on this case; however, we continue to be confident in both the importance of this surcharge on secondary homes… and our implementation of it,” Mamdani told PIX11 News. “We are moving forward on that.”
Dozens of city employees terminated after TPS ends
A spokesperson for City Hall told PIX11 News dozens of Haitian employees were dismissed from their jobs after the Supreme Court allowed Trump to end TPS.
But why not protest by keeping city employees on the payroll? Mamdani addressed the possible risks.
“The major reason is that we don’t want to hurt these New Yorkers’ attempts at retaining legal status,” Mamdani said. “What we don’t want to do is try and make a political point at the expense of these New Yorkers.”
Mayor addresses wife Rama Duwaji’s upcoming trip
After the New York Post reported discrepancies between City Hall and the NYPD, the mayor says Duwaji will travel next month to Syria and Lebanon without an NYPD detail.
Watch the video player for the full interview.