NEWYORK: Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately stop its unauthorized and therefore illegal use of New York City-owned property to stage immigration enforcement operations, warning that the City will take legal action if agents continue.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella, and ICE New York Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo, the Mayor made clear that the City has not authorized ICE to use its property for immigration-related operations. He called on ICE to issue guidance explicitly prohibiting agents from using City-owned lots to stage or conduct those operations.
ICE agents have reportedly parked vehicles and held meetings in several unstaffed City-owned lots, including a lot at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and lots along 111th Street on the west side of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Those Queens lots sit next to a City-run preschool and several cultural institutions that welcome hundreds of children and families every day.
To further safeguard against ICE’s unauthorized use of City property and lots, as part of Executive Order 13, the Mamdani administration has been working with City agencies to update their policies and protocols related to non-local law enforcement attempts to gain access to City property and lots.
Alongside issuing the letter to ICE, the administration is also announcing a new NYC Parks policy today for frontline workers, which strengthens the procedures that Parks employees must follow when responding to attempts by non-local law enforcement, including ICE, to access non-public and public areas of Parks property. This new policy and ongoing training will ensure Parks employees are equipped to enforce our local laws and protect Parks spaces for the safe use and enjoyment of all New Yorkers.
“ICE has no right to use our property as a base for tearing families apart. That goes for every park and every lot this City owns. This unauthorized use of City property must end now,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani.
“Today, I’m telling DHS to order its agents off our lots. If they keep coming back, we will see them in court.”
“No family in New York should fear that going to the park or walking through their neighborhood could mean being torn away from their loved ones,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.
“I am deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property to carry out aggressive immigration enforcement operations. I was proud to sign the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act to prevent local resources from being used for federal civil immigration enforcement, and I stand with Mayor Mamdani in demanding an end to the unauthorized use of City property for these operations.”
Earlier this year, Governor Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act in law, which prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement, ensuring local law enforcement resources remain focused on protecting New Yorkers rather than carrying out federal immigration operations.
“Every person who calls New York City home is a New Yorker, and every one of them deserves to feel safe here,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“We have a collective responsibility to stand up for our neighbors, and we cannot sit idly by while their rights are ignored. Immigrants built this city, and as long as the Statue of Liberty stands proudly in our harbor, we will continue to protect our friends and neighbors in New York’s immigrant communities.”
“When we say ICE out of New York, we mean it — and we’re not going to let this rogue agency use city property to terrorize our city’s residents,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.
“While private entities like Target are revealing themselves by failing to condemn ICE’s use of private spaces for staging, the city is sending a strong message about our public spaces, reinforcing our commitment to immigrant New Yorkers and their neighbors.”
“Now that the Department of Homeland Security is clearly on notice regarding its unauthorized use of city lots, there is no excuse for continuing to commandeer city property and we are prepared to go to court if it does not stop,” said NYC Corporation Counsel Steven Banks.
The letter came after ICE agents recklessly shot Oscar Belgal in Marble Hill while his 5-year-old son sat in the car. Agents had reportedly been staging operations from a private lot a few blocks away.
“Our city parks are our backyard, and both NYC residents and visitors deserve to feel safe when enjoying them,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura.
“We commend this administration for creating this first-of-its-kind policy to guide and support our frontline Parks staff, while ensuring that our public spaces remain a resource for people of all backgrounds to use without fear.”
“Immigrant New Yorkers are living in constant fear because of ICE, and that makes our entire city less safe. No one should have to live this way,” said MOIA Commissioner Faiza N. Ali.
“ICE must stop using City-owned property to stage and carry out its operations of terror. Through new guidance for NYC Parks workers and the distribution of MOIA resources, we are equipping New Yorkers with the information and support they need to protect themselves and their communities. New Yorkers can call our free, confidential Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 1-800-354-0365 to connect with trusted legal help in their preferred language.”
“ICE’s unauthorized and manipulative use of properties intended for the public is just another example of the federal government’s overreach and disregard for New Yorkers and our community safety. We support the mayor’s effort to train and equip our members with the tools they need to protect the public from violation by non-local law enforcement. Keep ICE out of our parks and city facilities,” said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37 AFSCME.
“We are a proud borough and city of immigrants, and ICE has no right to use City-owned property to target, harass or intimidate our communities,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson.
“I am proud to join Mayor Zohran Mamdani and my colleagues in government in calling for an immediate prohibition on the use of unstaffed City-owned lots by ICE agents in our neighborhoods. ICE has no place here in our city, and despite attempts from this White House administration to divide us, we will always stand up for our immigrant neighbors.”
“I stand firmly with Mayor Mamdani as he mobilizes our city’s public workforce and legal capacity to get ICE out of city property. My neighbors and I have been organizing to warn our community about ICE’s ongoing use of Van Cortlandt Park’s parking lots to stage raids in our neighborhoods and we are encouraged by the support of our Mayor to prohibit them from taking over public space to endanger us. Thank you to every New York City worker who will be trained and empowered to protect New Yorkers from ICE’s lawless terrorizing of our community,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera.
“For generations, our parks have been safe havens and beloved third spaces where communities thrive,” said Council Member Ty Hankerson, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation.
“ICE has been trying to turn them into hunting grounds, but New Yorkers are not prey. Our green spaces, recreation centers, and beaches are places of joy, not fear. I stand with the Mayor in making our parks ICE-free zones. Our parks are for everyone, and we intend to keep them that way.”
