New York Mayor Calls for Ending ICE, Challenges Trump’s Deportation Push
In his sharpest critique of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for the dissolution of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and accused it of behaving without humanity or fairness. Mdani said in a televised interview earlier this week that ICE no longer serves its objective and instead causes fear across communities, regardless of legal status.
Mamdani, who started office on January 1, advocates eliminating ICE because the organization has strayed from lawful and humanitarian immigration enforcement. He said that immigration policy should be governed by compassion rather than intimidation and portrayed recurring scenes of people being arrested from their homes, automobiles, and daily lives as distressing and wrong.
His comments coincide with rising national emphasis on immigration enforcement and ICE protesters. A number of cities have seen protests against recent detentions and deportations, with some asking for the agency’s dissolution.
The mayor also addressed criticism he received earlier this month for calling the Minneapolis killing of 37-year-old Renee Good a “murder.” Good attempted to hit the ICE officer with her car, according to federal officials. Local authorities say evidence suggests Good was trying to turn her car away when she was shot.
Mamdani justified his statements by pointing to video footage of the incident, stating the public should trust what they see rather than official explanations. He said the episode illustrates a dangerous trend of justifying enforcement operations under the guise of public safety, even when the results are horrific.
Mayor noted that he has directly voiced issues with President Trump, calling ICE raids brutal and useless. According to Mamdani, such efforts increase fear and division, especially in immigrant communities, rather than public safety.
He made these remarks after President Trump threatened to send federal troops to Minneapolis under the Insurrection Act in reaction to protests. Trump said he would use the law if necessary, but he does not see a need. The president can deploy the military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, but it has rarely been employed. Local authorities requested its deployment in 1992 during rioting in Los Angeles.
Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act during public disturbance, including the 2020 George Floyd murder and current immigration enforcement protests. These remarks have heightened tensions over federal power, state control, and executive power.
Mamdani’s comments publicly contradict the Trump administration’s immigration policy as protests continue and political discussion escalates. His position illustrates a growing split between federal enforcement and local officials who advocate for a humanitarian and community-centered immigration policy.
Sources
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
The White House
U.S. Department of Justice
State and Local Government Statements
Associated Press
