New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Sunday outlined a series of ways he said residents could legally resist federal agents targeting illegal immigrants, marking his latest effort to thwart the Trump administration’s agenda.
The mayor-elect released a video in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent operations in Manhattan, telling viewers, “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights.”
“New York will always welcome immigrants, and I will fight each and every day to protect, support, and celebrate our immigrant brothers and sisters,” he said.
ICE cannot enter private spaces such as homes, schools, or workspaces without a judicial warrant signed by a judge, the mayor-elect told residents. Detainees have the right to remain silent and reserve the option to ask “Am I free to go?” until they receive an answer, he continued.
Mamdani also said during the video that the public is legally allowed to film ICE, “as long as you do not interfere with an arrest.” He told the public not to impede federal investigations or “resist arrest,” saying it is important to “remain calm” during interactions with ICE.
“One last thing, New Yorkers have a constitutional right to protest, and when I’m mayor, we will protect that right,” the mayor-elect concluded.
Mamdani unexpectedly rose to power this year when he won the 2025 New York City election to become the city’s first openly socialist mayor, based partly on his promise to stand up to Trump, including on matters of immigration.
“Hear me, President [Donald] Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” Mamdani said during his victory speech last month. “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”
Despite their differences, Mamdani and Trump have forged a publicly cordial relationship. The president surprised many with his friendly approach to the mayor-elect during their high-profile meeting in the Oval Office following Mamdani’s ascent to City Hall in November.
During that meeting, Mamdani said he “shared with the president directly that New Yorkers want to follow the laws of our city, and the laws of our city say that, in our sanctuary city policies, city government can be in touch with the federal government on around 170 serious crimes.”
“The concern comes from beyond those crimes, the many New Yorkers who are being arrested, they’re being detained, they’re being deported for the crime of making a regular court appearance,” he added.
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The mayor-elect’s video release on Sunday came days after protests were triggered by a federal operation targeting illegal immigrants near the city’s Chinatown neighborhood. More than a dozen demonstrators were arrested over the weekend, with the Trump administration telling CNN that individuals “dressed in black clothing with backpacks, face masks, and goggles showed up and began to obstruct” officers.
A similar immigration sweep in the same neighborhood in October also met with protests, when ICE said it took nine illegal immigrants into custody during an operation targeting Canal Street. On Nov. 22, ICE similarly said it carried out a targeted operation near Canal and Lafayette streets to arrest one man.
