A recent raid by federal immigration authorities (ICE) in New York City has sparked fury among residents.
The raid, which comes amid several others held nationwide, was thwarted by about 200 protestors, several of whom were arrested after scuffles with police officers, according to The Guardian.
Reacting to the crisis, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has staunchly defended immigrant communities.
“My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants, of which I am one,” Mamdani wrote on X.
Mamdani spoke to Trump about issue
Mamdani, who recently met US President Donald Trump, revealed that he also addressed the matter at length with the leader.
“When I met the President, I made it very clear that these kinds of raids are cruel and inhumane, that they do nothing to public safety,” Mamdani stated.
Mamdani is a naturalised citizen
Mamdani, a naturalised American citizen, was born in Uganda to Indian-descent parents, academic Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.
A self-described democratic socialist, he repeatedly emphasised his duty to represent every resident, including New York’s millions of immigrants in his poll campaign, leading up to his election.
Demonstrators chanted ‘ICE out of New York’
Demonstrators in New York City chanted “ICE out of New York” during the raids, formed human barriers, locked arms, and hurled roadside planters at government vehicles as they tried to block ICE from leaving a garage during an enforcement operation.
Law enforcement responded with pepper spray to disperse the crowd, escalating tensions in what officials described as a violent confrontation, according to The Associated Press.
Immigrant advocate Murad Awawdeh, now on Mamdani’s transition team, praised New Yorkers’ resistance as a sign of fierce community solidarity against what he called a “rogue, lawless” agency.
“New York City is unlike any other place in this country or even the world, and what you have seen yesterday and time and again is that New Yorkers of all stripes, across all creeds, are not going to allow a rogue, lawless, violent and horrific agency to continue to mess with their neighbours,” he told TIME.
