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Mamdani Tells Immigrant New Yorkers: Know Your Rights When Confronting ICE

05:25 AM, 12/08/2025
Mamdani Tells Immigrant New Yorkers: Know Your Rights When Confronting ICE

Zohran Mamdani, New York City's mayor-elect, posted a video advising immigrants about their legal rights when confronted by ICE. He urged people to remain silent, to record agents without interfering, and to deny entry to homes, schools or private work areas unless agents have a judge-signed warrant. His message followed a recent ICE action on Canal Street near Chinatown and echoes protests from a similar sweep last October.

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani released a short social media video on Sunday advising the city's immigrant community about their legal rights when approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The post came days after federal agents conducted a raid in Manhattan.

In the clip, Mamdani pledged to defend New York's roughly 3 million immigrants and urged residents to understand and assert their rights. "We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights," he said.

Mamdani outlined concrete steps people can take if confronted by immigration agents:

  • Choose not to speak with federal immigration officers; you have the right to remain silent.
  • Record agents with your phone as long as you do not interfere with their activities.
  • Refuse requests to enter private spaces—such as a home, a school or a private area of a workplace—unless agents present a judicial warrant signed by a judge.

"ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent. If you’re being detained, you may always ask, 'Am I free to go?' repeatedly until they answer you," Mamdani said.

Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on Jan. 1. His remarks followed a recent incident in which demonstrators gathered as ICE sought to detain people on Canal Street near New York's Chinatown; a similar sweep in the same neighborhood last October also drew protests.

Weeks earlier, Mamdani held an unexpectedly cordial meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement operations in several U.S. cities, most recently targeting areas in New Orleans.

"New York will always welcome immigrants," Mamdani said in the video. "I will fight each and every day to protect, support, and celebrate our immigrant brothers and sisters."

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