Zohran Mamdani (Photo credit: AP)
New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani released a video explaining the rights of immigrants when confronted by ICE officers, days after a reported US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on Canal Street prompted public outcry. In the clip, posted late Sunday, he said, “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights,” as he pledged to defend the city’s more than three million immigrant residents. The video accompanied his post on X in which Mamdani wrote: “Know your rights. Protect your neighbours. New York is — and always will be — a city for all immigrants.”
Mamdani said he would “protect the rights of every single New Yorker,” stressing that agents “cannot enter into private spaces, like your home, school, or private area of your workplace without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.” He warned that officers may present paperwork “that looks like this and tell you that they have the right to arrest you,” but added, “That is false. ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent.”Mamdani also advised that individuals being questioned may ask “Am I free to go?” until they receive a clear answer, and said New Yorkers are allowed to film ICE agents provided they do not interfere with an arrest. “Remain calm. Do not impede their investigation, resist arrest or run,” he added, reiterating that the right to protest remains constitutionally protected.Mamdani, who met President Donald Trump in a surprisingly cordial Oval Office meeting weeks earlier, has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of aggressive immigration enforcement within the city. Closing his video, he said: “New York will always welcome immigrants, and I will fight each and every day to protect, support and celebrate our immigrant brothers and sisters.”His message followed a sequence of enforcement activities that have increased tension in the city. ABC News reported that his advisory was released shortly after federal agents carried out an operation in Manhattan, part of broader immigration enforcement drives across several US cities. The outlet also noted that demonstrators had gathered last weekend as agents attempted detentions on Canal Street, echoing a similar sweep last October that drew spontaneous protests in Chinatown.The New York Times reported that on November 28, protesters clashed with police outside a parking garage on Centre and Hester Streets. Dozens of federal agents from US Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security had appeared to be assembling there ahead of a raid. The standoff escalated as protesters blocked the garage entrance with their bodies and piled garbage bags to prevent agents from exiting. The confrontation lasted nearly an hour, leading to several arrests and effectively stalling the operation.
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