Mamdani threatens to sue Trump administration over ICE use of New York City property

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, threatened on Monday to sue the Trump administration over what he says is Immigration and Customs Enforcement's unauthorized use of city property to stage enforcement operations ¹. The threat came in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE Director David Venturella and ICE New York field office Director Kenneth Genalo ¹.

Mamdani wrote that he is "deeply troubled by recent reports" of ICE officers "using property owned by the City of New York to stage enforcement operations" ¹. He called the use "unauthorized and is therefore illegal" and said it "endangers City residents, and sows fear among those who seek to access City property" ¹.

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The mayor's office says ICE agents have reportedly parked vehicles and held meetings in a number of city-owned lots, including at Van Cortlandt Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park ². Mamdani said Monday that the city is "willing to go to court" if the practice continues ².

We want to make very clear that we mean what we say when we talk about sanctuary city policies and we talk about the fact that our city will not assist in immigration enforcement. And what we've seen all too often is ICE's flouting of those directives and those laws. And this is a letter to make clear that ICE has no right to use any city property or lots for anti-immigrant operations and that we are willing to go to court if they continue to do so

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she is "deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property to carry out aggressive immigration enforcement operations" and that she stands with Mamdani "in demanding an end to the unauthorized use of city property for these operations" ². Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said, "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" ².

From Channel GOPMamdani on ICE agents disguised as construction workersZohran Mamdani · 1.5K plays · captioned, with the source named

The Department of Homeland Security pushed back, saying ICE's presence is fully authorized under federal law ². A DHS spokesperson said, "Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to our brave law enforcement officers for cleaning up the streets of NYC since he won't" and that "no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again" ².

What happens next

Mamdani's letter sets a condition: if ICE agents continue what the city calls unauthorized use of the lots, New York City will take legal action "to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property" ¹. The Hill reported that it had reached out to DHS for comment ¹. The dispute lands one day before Tuesday's midterm election.

That matters because the clash puts a Democratic mayor's sanctuary-city policy directly against the Republican administration's immigration enforcement in the country's largest city, and it could move quickly from letters to a courtroom.

The Record

1. Nov 2, 2026Mamdani sends a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE Director David Venturella and ICE New York field office Director Kenneth Genalo threatening legal action over ICE's use of city property ¹.
2. Nov 2, 2026Mamdani says the city is "willing to go to court" if ICE continues using city lots for staging ².
3. Nov 2, 2026A DHS spokesperson says ICE's presence is fully authorized under federal law and that "no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens" ².

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<h2>Mamdani threatens to sue Trump administration over ICE use of New York City property</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mamdani-threatens-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ice-use-of-new-york-city-property">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, threatened on Monday to sue the Trump administration over what he says is Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#39;s unauthorized use of city property to stage enforcement operations . The threat came in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE Director David Venturella and ICE New York field office Director Kenneth Genalo .</p> <p>Mamdani wrote that he is &quot;deeply troubled by recent reports&quot; of ICE officers &quot;using property owned by the City of New York to stage enforcement operations&quot; . He called the use &quot;unauthorized and is therefore illegal&quot; and said it &quot;endangers City residents, and sows fear among those who seek to access City property&quot; .</p> <p>The mayor&#39;s office says ICE agents have reportedly parked vehicles and held meetings in a number of city-owned lots, including at Van Cortlandt Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park . Mamdani said Monday that the city is &quot;willing to go to court&quot; if the practice continues .</p> <blockquote><p>We want to make very clear that we mean what we say when we talk about sanctuary city policies and we talk about the fact that our city will not assist in immigration enforcement. And what we&#39;ve seen all too often is ICE&#39;s flouting of those directives and those laws. And this is a letter to make clear that ICE has no right to use any city property or lots for anti-immigrant operations and that we are willing to go to court if they continue to do so</p><p>&mdash; Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she is &quot;deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property to carry out aggressive immigration enforcement operations&quot; and that she stands with Mamdani &quot;in demanding an end to the unauthorized use of city property for these operations&quot; . Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said, &quot;When we say ICE out of New York, we mean it — and we&#39;re not going to let this rogue agency use city property to terrorize our city&#39;s residents&quot; .</p> <p>The Department of Homeland Security pushed back, saying ICE&#39;s presence is fully authorized under federal law . A DHS spokesperson said, &quot;Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to our brave law enforcement officers for cleaning up the streets of NYC since he won&#39;t&quot; and that &quot;no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again&quot; .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Mamdani&#39;s letter sets a condition: if ICE agents continue what the city calls unauthorized use of the lots, New York City will take legal action &quot;to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property&quot; . The Hill reported that it had reached out to DHS for comment . The dispute lands one day before Tuesday&#39;s midterm election.</p> <p>That matters because the clash puts a Democratic mayor&#39;s sanctuary-city policy directly against the Republican administration&#39;s immigration enforcement in the country&#39;s largest city, and it could move quickly from letters to a courtroom.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/mamdani-threatens-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ice-use-of-new-york-city-property">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/mamdani-threatens-to-sue-trump-administration-over-ice-use-of-new-york-city-property.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Mamdani threatens to sue Trump administration over alleged ICE use of NYC property” (2026-11-02). thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6189621-nyc-mayor-threatens
2. CBS News, “NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatens ICE with new legal action over use of city property - CBS New York” (2026-11-02). cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-ice-legal-

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