New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is threatening to sue the Trump administration unless federal immigration agents stop using municipal property to stage enforcement operations, according to Politico. The warning comes after ICE agents were spotted using city-owned parking lots in Queens and the Bronx, including one near a city-run preschool at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Mamdani described the use of the lots as unauthorized and illegal. He argued that the operation “endangers City residents, and sows fear among those who seek to access City property.” Mamdani also warned that if ICE “agents continue any unauthorized use of these lots, New York City will take legal action to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property.”
The mayor wants Mullin to immediately instruct ICE agents not to use any city-owned lots to stage or conduct enforcement operations. However, the Department of Homeland Security has rejected the demand. A spokesperson said, “ICE’s presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law and is a standard practice for law enforcement agencies nationwide.” The department added that agents would continue enforcing federal immigration laws in accordance with the Constitution.
Mamdani introduces restrictions on ICE
The dispute marks another escalation in Mamdani’s efforts to challenge ICE activity in New York City. His letter follows the October 8 shooting of Oscar Belgal, an unarmed Dominican immigrant, by ICE agents in the Bronx.
At a press conference in Brooklyn, Mamdani told reporters that he had not discussed the letter with President Donald Trump, although the two have spoken about ICE. He described the issue as “one of the clearest examples of a stark policy difference” between the two of them.
Mamdani made clear that the City has not allowed ICE to use its property for immigration-related operations, according to a press release. ICE’s presence became more prominent as agents reportedly parked vehicles and held meetings in several unstaffed City-owned lots, including a lot at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and lots along 111th Street on the west side of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens that are next to many City-run preschools and several cultural institutions.
The release also cited Governor Kathy Hochul. She welcomed the decision by saying that “no family in New York should fear that going to the park or walking through their neighborhood could mean being torn away from their loved ones.”
The mayor also announced a separate policy directing New York City Parks Department employees to deny federal immigration agents access to city property unless they present a judicial arrest warrant. The measure builds on an executive order issued earlier this year and is intended to clarify how parks employees should respond when they encounter ICE or other federal law enforcement officers on parkland.
Published: Nov 3, 2026 02:00 pm