Mamdani vows NYPD will ‘never’ go back to Adams-era cooperation with ICE enforcement
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said that the New York City Police Department will not be helping with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) measures under his watch, shortly after border czar Tom Homan announced federal immigration officials would be ramping up its enforcement measures soon in the Big Apple.
The commitment follows through on Mamdani’s campaign promise that the NYPD will not assist federal immigration officials, such as ICE, under his watch.
“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. That can never even be entertained,” Mamdani said during an interview with local television station PIX11 News. “People are living in fear.”
The mayor-elect continued, “And what we will ensure is that the NYPD will be delivering public safety, not assisting ICE in their attempts to fulfill the administration’s goal of creating the single largest deportation force in American history.”
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Mamdani’s response on whether he would have the NYPD cooperate with ICE came in the context of NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the fact she was “tipped off” about an earlier raid.
When asked how he would handle a similar situation, Mamdani said he would tell the commissioner “to ensure no officers are assisting with the actions of ICE.”
Under the incumbent Adams administration, the NYPD was reportedly permitted to help with criminal immigration enforcement operations, but according to an Adams spokesperson, they were not directed to assist with civil immigration enforcement.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, following months of speculation, Mamdani announced Tisch would be staying on as police commissioner despite questions about the pair’s ideological differences.
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One example of their differences was whether to keep the city’s Strategic Response Group, a group within the NYPD focused on rapid-response for large-scale events, like protests and mass shootings. Mamdani said during his interview with PIX11 that the Strategic Response Group will not exist anymore under his mayorship.
When asked if Mamdani “gave anything up” to coax Tisch to stay on as commissioner, he did not indicate one way or the other.
“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,” Mamdani said. “There’s also a real shared alignment – both the commissioner and I have a shared agreement on the fact that the police should not be asked to handle the fact that our social safety net is coming apart at the seams – that is a responsibility for city government.”
During the talk about Tisch, Mamdani also doubled down on his promise that the NYPD headcount will not rise under his tenure, even if it is something Tisch wants.
“I will be the one who has the final decision,” Mamdani said when asked about how he would approach shared governing responsibilities with Tisch.
