New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani issued a stark warning to Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, emphasizing that its agents are not beyond the reach of the law.
“My message to ICE agents and to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law. If you violate the law, you must be held accountable,” Mamdani said at a press briefing the morning after his groundbreaking win.
ICE has faced major public scrutiny in recent months amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive second-term immigration enforcement policies, which have resulted in displays of violent tactics and civil rights concerns.
Last month, the agency conducted a raid on a Chicago apartment building in the middle of the night, where residents described children being dragged out without clothes. In other instances, immigration agents have also pointed weapons at people or slammed them to the ground.
Data released by the government in September and cited by The Guardian reveal that the largest group inside ICE detention centers consists of immigrants with no criminal records.
