New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has said he is ready to face arrest over his opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, revealing details of a private meeting with President Donald Trump in which he raised concerns about immigration enforcement in the city.
In an interview with MS Now, Mamdani said he is ‘prepared for any consequence that comes for standing up for New Yorkers,’ stressing that protecting the city’s immigrant population was central to his mayoral campaign.
‘I’m proud to inform people of their rights, and I can’t think of a more American thing to do than to speak about the protections that we all have under the law,’ Mamdani said.
He was responding to warnings from Homeland Security Secretary Christy Nome that his guidance on handling ICE visits could violate federal law.
Mamdani emphasised that his willingness to face legal consequences follows the example of other officials who have stood up to federal immigration enforcement, citing California Governor Gavin Newsom, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
‘Anybody that stands in the way could be arrested,’ Mamdani said.
Meeting with President Trump
According to Mamdani, the discussion with Trump focused on the potential impact of ICE operations in New York City, including raids at 26 Federal Plaza that resulted in family separations.
Mamdani described the situation of a six-year-old boy from Queens who was separated from his father, noting that his father remains detained in upstate New York while the child’s location is unknown.
‘These kinds of raids are cruel and inhumane and do nothing to serve the interests of public safety,’ Mamdani said.
He added that he told the president the city does not require the involvement of ICE or federal agents to maintain law and order.
‘We have the NYPD here. We trust the NYPD to deliver that public safety. We do not need ICE and the National Guard to make that same case,’ he said.
Protecting New York’s Immigrants
Mamdani stressed that more than three million New Yorkers are immigrants, including himself. He criticised indiscriminate enforcement and reaffirmed the city’s sanctuary policies.
He also noted that accountability applies to everyone, including federal officers.
‘If an ICE agent is breaking the law, then that is a law that they should be held accountable to,’ Mamdani said.
He cited measures to prevent federal agents from conducting mass enforcement in public spaces such as subways.
Affordability and Public Safety
While immigration enforcement dominated much of the discussion, Mamdani also highlighted the city’s affordability crisis.
He told Trump that the inability to pay for rent, utilities, and necessities is pushing residents out of the city.
‘The first thing I think about is the first of the month for New Yorkers and how it’s still a time of trepidation,’ he said.
Mamdani said that addressing affordability is intertwined with maintaining public safety and delivering effective municipal services.
He argued that federal involvement in immigration enforcement does not serve the city’s best interests and reiterated his commitment to prioritising New Yorkers’ welfare.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
