A recent immigration raid by federal authorities in New York City has triggered widespread anger among local residents. The operation, part of a series of similar actions taking place across the country, drew an immediate backlash as nearly 200 protestors gathered to block the agents. Several demonstrators were taken into custody after clashes broke out with police, according to The Guardian.
Responding to the unfolding crisis, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani voiced firm support for the city’s immigrant communities, making it clear he intends to stand with those affected.
“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,” newly elected NYC Mayor Mamdani wrote on X.
Mamdani, who met with President Donald Trump earlier this week, said he raised the issue directly during their conversation and pressed the administration to reconsider its approach. “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,” he stated.
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Even when, Mamdani won the election, he told in his victory speech that, “New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”
“So, hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” Mamdani added.
Mamdani, a naturalized American citizen, was born in Uganda to Indian parents, scholar Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair.
Throughout his campaign, the self-described democratic socialist stressed that his responsibility was to every New Yorker. He frequently highlighted the need to protect the city’s large immigrant population, a message that became central to his run for office.
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During the raid, demonstrators filled the streets shouting “ICE out of New York.” They linked arms, formed human chains and even threw roadside planters at federal vehicles in a desperate attempt to stop the agents from driving out of a garage during the enforcement sweep.
Police moved in with pepper spray to push back the crowd, heightening an already tense standoff. Officials later described the scene as a violent clash, according to The Associated Press.
Murad Awawdeh, an immigrant rights advocate who now serves on Mamdani’s transition team, praised the crowds for standing their ground. He called their pushback a powerful show of community solidarity against what he described as 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 neighbors,” he told TIME.