In one of his first major interviews since winning the New York City mayoral race, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made it clear: under his administration, the NYPD will have no role in assisting federal immigration enforcement. The progressive city councilman-turned-mayor-elect is following through on a central campaign promise — to end any and all cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This position comes just days after Tom Homan, former acting ICE director and now Biden’s “border czar,” announced a ramp-up of federal immigration operations in New York. That move, aimed at curbing rising numbers of undocumented immigrants in the city, appears poised to clash directly with Mamdani’s local agenda.
“We can never go back to the days where Eric Adams would go on national television and open the door to the NYPD handling civil immigration enforcement,” Mamdani said in an interview with PIX11. “People are living in fear.”
That fear — of deportation, family separation, or increased targeting of immigrant communities — was a key narrative Mamdani harnessed during his campaign. Now, with the federal government shifting into high-gear on immigration enforcement, the new mayor’s vow not to cooperate presents a looming intergovernmental standoff.
He was direct when asked how he’d respond to future ICE operations involving NYPD oversight. “I would tell the commissioner to ensure no officers are assisting with the actions of ICE.”
This marks a sharp departure from the policy under outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who permitted NYPD involvement in criminal immigration enforcement while drawing a line at civil enforcement — a distinction Mamdani is not interested in maintaining. Under his watch, there will be no ICE cooperation of any kind.
And yet, in a move some viewed as contradictory, Mamdani also confirmed that Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch will stay on in her role — despite their well-documented ideological differences. Tisch, known for her tough-on-crime management style and support for strategic policing groups, now finds herself working for a mayor who has promised no increase to the NYPD headcount, the elimination of the Strategic Response Group, and a complete end to ICE cooperation.
When asked whether he gave up any policy ground to keep Tisch onboard, Mamdani demurred. “I spoke to the commissioner about the fact that I am looking to keep her in this position because of the work that she has done, not because of the idea that I have of overhauling all of it. It’s about building that together.”
Still, Mamdani was clear about who holds the final say. “I will be the one who has the final decision.”
