{"id":94222,"date":"2026-01-08T23:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T23:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/94222\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T23:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T23:02:12","slug":"mamdani-exclusive-interview-on-child-care-ice-status-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/94222\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani exclusive interview on child care, ICE status in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NYC NYC Mayor Mamdani on ICE, ‘2-Care’ plan<\/a> <\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced a busy first week in office. Sitting down with FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay, the mayor expressed optimism in a newly unveiled plan on free child care for the city’s two-year-olds.
\nHe also responds to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s comments that conversations with the Mamdani administration have not been “productive” regarding ICE operations and NYC’s sanctuary city laws.
\nWatch Morgan’s full sitdown with Mamdani on tomorrow’s episode of Politics Unusual.<\/p>\n

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave an exclusive interview to FOX 5 NY’s political reporter Morgan McKay.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, speaks during a news conference at Diversity Plaza in the Queens borough of New York, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Mamdani announced that Christine Clarke will be chair and commissioner of the New York City Commi <\/p>\n

McKay spoke to the mayor about his newly announced plans for child care in the city, his relationship with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the potential presence of ICE agents in the city.<\/p>\n

“It’s the joy and honor and privilege of a lifetime to be the mayor of New York City\u2026 I’m really proud of what we’ve been doing,” Mamdani said.<\/p>\n

***You can watch the full interview on Friday night. Each week on Politics Unusual, FOX 5 NY political reporter Morgan McKay breaks down the week’s biggest local and national political headlines. Tune in at 6:30 p.m. Fridays on FOX 5 and FOX LOCAL New York, and watch full episodes on the FOX LOCAL app<\/a> and our YouTube page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Interview with Mayor Mamdani <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

McKay began the interview by asking about Mamdani and Hochul’s plans to expand free and affordable child care<\/a>, including launching free care for 2-year-olds in New York City and strengthening the city\u2019s 3K program.<\/p>\n

“We campaigned on universal child care. Now that’s what we’re delivering,” the mayor responded. “I’ve always said that we need to deliver universal child care for each and every family across the city because, after housing, child care is the most expensive thing that is pushing New Yorkers out of this city.”<\/p>\n

\"Trump Trump admin. freezing child care funding in NY<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Department of Health and Human Services will freeze taxpayer funding for several child care and social services for some Democrat-led states, including New York.\u00a0FOX 5 NY’s Briella Tomassetti joined Dan Bowens on Newsroom Live to explain.<\/p>\n

When asked about the process of working with the governor on child care, he told her, “We both represent New Yorkers.”<\/p>\n

McKay also brought up the United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who said her conversations with the mayor’s administration have “not been productive.”<\/p>\n

\"Noem Noem speaks after Minnesota ICE shooting: FULL<\/a> <\/p>\n

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the public in New York City following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The incident has sparked protests nationwide, as federal and local officials offer conflicting accounts of what happened and calls grow for an investigation into ICE enforcement practices.<\/p>\n

“What I’ve instructed my team… to do is to follow the law that we have here in New York City, and those laws also include sanctuary city laws,” Mamdani answered.<\/p>\n

“That means that we do not allow ICE agents to enter into a New York City school, or any New York City property\u2026 unless they show a judicial warrant that’s signed by a judge.”<\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

Former Queens assemblymember Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda on October 18, 1991.<\/p>\n

He reportedly moved to New York City at the age of seven<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji<\/a>, is the first Muslim to serve as first lady of New York City, a position that has not been consistently occupied in decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Duwaji is an animator, illustrator and ceramist who has spent most of her adult life deliberately outside the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 24: New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) kisses the hand of his wife Rama Duwaji as they celebrate during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island Cit <\/p>\n

She and Mamdani met on the dating app Hinge in 2021, when he was serving in the New York State Assembly.<\/p>\n

According to the Mamdani campaign, they celebrated their engagement with a small family gathering in Dubai, where Duwaji\u2019s family lives, before having a civil ceremony in New York City.<\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

Mamdani is one of the youngest mayors in New York City’s history<\/a>, as well as its first Muslim, South Asian and African-born leader.<\/p>\n

\"FULL: <\/p>\n

Since winning the mayoral election, Mamdani has vowed to make New York more affordable and equitable<\/a>, with sweeping plans that include free child care, fare-free city buses and city-run grocery stores aimed at easing the cost of living for working families.<\/p>\n

The mayor was sworn in just after midnight on Jan. 1, then held an inauguration ceremony<\/a> later in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

\"FULL: <\/p>\n

Several different prominent figures spoke at his inauguration, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.<\/p>\n

Local perspective:<\/p>\n

Mamdani has been assembling what he has called a “new era” of leadership in the past few weeks.<\/p>\n

In his first order of business, Mamdani appointed five deputy mayors: Dean Fuleihan, Leila Bozorg, Julie Su, Julia Kerson and Helen Arteaga.<\/p>\n

He also retained NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch<\/a>, who previously served under former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.<\/p>\n

\"Mamdani Mamdani and Tisch’s working relationship<\/a> <\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch could butt heads in the future regarding police enforcement in the city. FOX 5 NY’s Morgan McKay has more.<\/p>\n

More recently, the mayor announced his new FDNY Commissioner, retired Chief of EMS Operations Lillian Bonsignore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other key members of Mamdani’s team<\/a> include:<\/p>\n

Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-ChurchHead of Intergovernmental Affairs Jahmila EdwardsBudget Director Sherif SolimanDepartment of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam LevineCorporation Counsel Steve BanksNew York City Schools Chancellor Kamar SamuelsChair of the Mayor\u2019s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary Ali NajmiHead of O\ufb03ce of Mass Engagement Tascha Van AukenDirector of Mayor\u2019s Office to Protect Tenants Cea Weaver <\/p>\n

The other side:<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump met with Mamdani<\/a> in the Oval Office in late November of last year.<\/p>\n

\"From <\/p>\n

Both leaders described the conversation as productive and focused on shared priorities. Mamdani said the two discussed key affordability issues including rent, groceries and utilities.<\/p>\n

“I appreciated the time with the president. I appreciated the conversation. I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”<\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

Mamdani identifies as a Democratic Socialist<\/a> \u2013 he is a member of New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America<\/a>, and was endorsed<\/a> by the group after he announced his mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n

Democratic socialism<\/a> is a specific form of socialism focused on the idea that both society and the economy should be run democratically. The group’s official website defines it<\/a> as “a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods and society.”<\/p>\n

The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest organization based around socialism in the United States.<\/p>\n

A few policies or stances<\/a> that the organization believes in are:<\/p>\n

Establishing universal healthcare with no premiums, co-pays, or deductiblesAbolishing mandatory minimums and cash bailEstablishing expansive paid family leave for all workersCreating a 32-hour work week with no reduction in pay or benefitsRaising taxes on the richest earners, for-profit corporations, large inheritances and private colleges and universitiesEstablishing a wealth tax for the wealthiest in societyGreatly reducing the U.S. military budgetReplacing the Electoral College with a national popular vote for President <\/p>\n

The Source: This article includes reporting from FOX 5 NY’s political reporter Morgan McKay.<\/p>\n

Zohran Mamdani<\/a>New York City<\/a>Politics<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NYC Mayor Mamdani on ICE, ‘2-Care’ plan New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced a busy first week…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94223,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,12,56,63,65,64,1232,87,618,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-94222","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-ny","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-nyc-headlines","13":"tag-nyc-news","14":"tag-people","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}