New York: Mamdani demands ICE leave city-owned land and threatens to sue

New York.— Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately stop using city-owned property for immigration enforcement operations, warning that the city will go to court if the agency does not comply.

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other ICE officials, Mamdani described the use of city property as “unauthorized and therefore unlawful.”

“ICE has no right to use our property as a base for separating families. This applies to every park and parcel of land that belongs to this city. This unauthorized use of city property must end now,” Mamdani said. “Today I demand that DHS order its agents off our land. If they keep coming back, we will see them in court.”

According to the mayor’s office, ICE agents have parked vehicles and held meetings on unstaffed land, including a site in Van Cortlandt Park, in the Bronx, and others on the west side of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, in Queens, near a preschool and cultural institutions.

The administration also announced a new policy for New York City Department of Parks field staff, strengthening response protocols when outside law enforcement agencies — including ICE — attempt to access those spaces.

The move follows last month’s incident in Marble Hill, where Oscar Belgal died from shots fired by ICE agents.

Governor Kathy Hochul backed the demand, saying: “No family in New York should fear that going to the park or walking through their neighborhood could mean being separated from their loved ones.” Earlier this year, Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which bars state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal civil immigration enforcement.

Photo: A Lo Claro Archive

Source: Spectrum Noticias