New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/ File) New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has posted a video on social media on Sunday explaining immigrants’ right to refuse to speak or comply with the directives being issued by agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a few days after federal agents carried out immigration crackdown in Manhattan, AP reported.
Mamdani, in the video, vowed to protect the 3 million immigrants who reside in New York City and said, “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights.” The newly elected mayor of NYC said that people in the United States can choose not to speak to federal immigration agents, record them without interfering and decline their requests to enter private spaces.
Detailing about the limitations which federal agents carry but aren’t commonly known to people, Mamdani said ICE agents cannot enter spaces like a home, school or private area of a workplace without a formal judicial warrant signed by a judge, AP reported.
Know your rights. Protect your neighbors.
New York is — and always will be — a city for all immigrants. pic.twitter.com/nuntRzgEwq
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) December 7, 2025
“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 in the video.
Informing the ICE raid which took place last weekend on Canal Street, Mamdani stated “Last weekend, ICE attempted to raid Canal Street and detain our immigrant neighbors. As mayor, I’ll protect the rights of every single New Yorker. And that includes the more than 3 million immigrants who call this city their home.”
Mamdani’s comments came a week after demonstrators gathered on Canal Street as ICE attempted to raid and detain immigrants near New York’s Chinatown.
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These incidents come in the backdrop of Mamdani having a cordial meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office last month whose administration is carrying out these immigration raids in several US cities, with most recent in New Orleans.
(with inputs from AP)
