NEW YORK (MNTV) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have presented a united Democratic front against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, with the state committing $7.25 million for legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children.
Hochul announced the funding Wednesday alongside Mamdani and Attorney General Letitia James, arguing children in immigration proceedings should not have to navigate the courts alone.
It follows the expiration of a federal contract that had provided about $356 million a year for such services; the gap reportedly affects more than 25,000 children nationwide, including over 1,300 in New York.
Mamdani called the loss a failure to protect vulnerable children and questioned the federal replacement contract, reportedly awarded to a Texas firm with limited immigration experience.
The dispute extends beyond legal aid.
New York is preparing to enforce a budget provision, effective Aug. 25, barring local police from maintaining formal agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil immigration enforcement.
Several counties have resisted, with some officials vowing to keep cooperating with federal authorities or to challenge the restrictions in court; Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman is weighing legal options over his county’s existing agreement.
Hochul has said localities must comply, while stressing the rules do not bar cooperation on criminal investigations.
The clash has become central to the governor’s race, less than three months from Election Day.
Hochul is casting New York as willing to resist federal policies she considers excessive, while Blakeman aligns with the administration.
Mamdani’s support strengthens the Democratic alliance and lets both leaders frame enforcement as a matter of civil rights and state authority — a confrontation likely to continue well past the funding announcement.