Homeland Security, FBI and IRS announce joint New York task force
The Department of Homeland Security announced a joint task force with the FBI and IRS to target “transnational criminal organizations.”
NEW YORK − Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he’s “prepared for any consequence” standing up to federal immigration enforcement in New York.
In a new MS NOW interview, Mamdani said on Dec. 10 that he told President Donald Trump that immigration raids, including in New York City, have been “cruel and inhumane” and don’t address public safety.
Journalist Jacob Soboroff asked if Mamdani was prepared to be arrested, something California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said they were willing to face while standing up to immigration enforcement in their states. While Trump has sent agents to several cities across the country, he has largely spared New York City for now.
“I’m prepared for any consequence that comes for standing up for New Yorkers, because that’s my job,” Mamdani said outside of New York City Hall, where he’ll take office Jan. 1. “That’s what I ran to do.”
Mamdani’s comments in recent days have angered administration officials who have suggested he’s violating the U.S. Constitution. New York City, like many other Democratic jurisdictions, limits local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement through a set of so-called “sanctuary” policies.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the federal Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said, “We are once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.
“This dangerous encouraging of illegal aliens to evade arrest comes after sanctuary politicians held webinars and provided resources and tips for how to openly defy ICE,” McLaughlin said, citing Democrats including New York congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Dan Goldman, as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom.
Mamdani has cited serving a city that includes over 3 million people who are immigrants. Born in Uganda, Mamdani, 34, is also an immigrant and a naturalized American citizen.
In a Dec. 7 social media video, Mamdani details places ICE couldn’t enter without proper court orders signed by a judge. He also told people they are legally allowed to film agents as long as they don’t interfere with an arrest, and that people have a constitutional right to protest.
Asked on Fox News’ “Hannity” show if these politicians were committing crimes, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her office would look into it with coordination from the Justice Department.
“The mayor, if he were mayor, could be violating the Constitution by giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and how to get away with breaking the law,” Noem said. “It’s really unbelievable in this country what we are seeing.”
Mamdani told MS NOW he’s proud to inform people about the law.
“I can’t think of a more American thing to do than to speak about the protections that we all have under the law,” he said.
Instead, the mayor-elect said New York City police can provide public safety, which he said is a cornerstone of addressing affordability, a nod to his winning campaign message.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.