Mamdani warns of lawsuit over ICE use of city parking lots
The mayor claims federal agents are illegally commandeering municipal property to stage operations, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from local leaders.
By Chioma Rogers ·
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a warning that the city will take legal action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement if agents continue to use municipal parking lots for operations.
In a letter to the Trump administration, Mamdani stated that the use of city-owned property was unauthorized and illegal. He argued that the practice endangers residents and creates fear among those accessing public spaces.
The mayor specifically demanded that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials provide immediate guidance prohibiting agents from staging or conducting operations in New York City parking lots.
Mamdani wrote that if the unauthorized use persists, the city will pursue legal steps to stop what he called an unlawful commandeering of property.
The conflict follows a recent legal victory for New York City, which won a challenge to its sanctuary laws in July 2025. The Mamdani administration has also criticized federal immigration enforcement since the shooting of Oscar Belgal, 28, by an ICE officer.
Belgal’s lawyers stated that the officer, who was in plainclothes, did not identify himself before smashing into his car and firing several shots while Belgal was picking up his five-year-old child from school.
Mamdani has also written to more than 1,000 private parking garage owners and operators, urging them to ban ICE from their facilities. He asked owners to stop renting or lending their property to the agency.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The New York Times that ICE’s presence in public lots is fully authorized under federal law and is standard practice nationwide. The spokesperson suggested Mamdani should be grateful for federal officers cleaning up the streets.
Source: The Guardian
