Mamdani tells ICE, “You can’t use New York City parking lots”… Legal Action Warning

New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani warned of legal action against the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s unauthorized use of city-owned parking lots.

On the 2nd (local time), Mayor Mamdani sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen and senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, criticizing ICE's use of city property as an operation base or staging area as an "unauthorized and illegal act."

He said that such actions "threaten the safety of citizens and create fear," and announced that he would take legal action to prevent the continued use of city-owned land without city permission.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, issued a statement countering that ICE parking in public parking lots is completely legal under federal law and is standard practice for law enforcement agencies across the country.

“Mayor Mamdani will not solve street disorder on his own, so he should be grateful to the brave law enforcement officers who kept New York’s streets clean,” he said.

New York City has long maintained a so-called “sanctuary city” policy that protects immigrants from immigration enforcement.

According to the New York Times, the sight of ICE agents in plainclothes gathering in a downtown parking lot before an early morning immigration raid using unmarked vehicles has been controversial in the community.

Last February, Mayor Mamdani issued an executive order restricting federal agents from using city property as a base for operations unless there is an exception, such as a court warrant.

In particular, the shooting incident by an ICE agent that occurred in New York on the 8th of last month served as an opportunity to further increase the conflict between the city and federal authorities.

At the time, ICE agents shot and wounded Oscar Belgal, 28, from the Dominican Republic, in the neck while he was in a vehicle during a targeted immigration raid. Belgal's 5-year-old son was also in the vehicle, but was not injured.

Criticism was raised about how ICE agents in plainclothes approached the vehicle and opened fire without revealing their identities.

Mayor Mamdani strongly criticized ICE's enforcement actions and called for ICE's abolition.

About a week later, Mayor Mamdani also sent a letter to private parking lot owners urging them not to rent their space to ICE.

“Our neighbors should not have to live in fear that the parking lot next block will be used as a base for an operation that puts the community at risk,” he said. “Make it clear they are not welcome.”