NYC Mayoral Candidate Says Illegal Aliens Have Kept City Safe For Decades, Vows To Fight ICE [WATCH]

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pledged to maintain the city’s sanctuary status and oppose any efforts by federal immigration enforcement to operate in the city if he is elected in November, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

Mamdani, a Democrat and current state assemblyman, made the comments during a televised interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. In the exchange, Mamdani said protecting illegal aliens from deportation has contributed to public safety in New York City for decades.

“Absolutely,” Mamdani said when asked if he would preserve New York’s sanctuary policies.

“Because ultimately, we’ve seen that this is a policy that has kept New Yorkers safe for decades. It’s a policy that had previously been defended by Democrats and Republicans alike until the fear-mongering of this current mayor.”

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He went on to claim the policy allows illegal aliens to “get out of the shadows and into the full life of the city that they belong to.”

Mamdani was also asked about reports that Border Czar Tom Homan intends to increase ICE worksite enforcement efforts in New York, deploying additional agents to target unauthorized labor.

“If that happens on your watch, how do you plan to handle it?” moderator Kristen Welker asked.

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“We have to stand up and fight back, and we haven’t seen that from our current mayor,” Mamdani responded.

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“Who has instead been working with the Trump administration to assist in their goal of building the single largest deportation force in American history.”

Mamdani referenced a recent incident in which an ICE agent arrested a migrant at Federal Plaza and claimed the NYPD assisted in arresting a pastor who was observing the situation.

“Those days are going to come to an end when I’m the mayor,” Mamdani said. “The NYPD’s job is to create public safety in the city, not to assist ICE agents in their mission to attack the very fabric of this city.”

Mamdani, a self-identified Muslim and democratic socialist, has previously expressed support for defunding the police, implementing state-run grocery stores, and “globalizing the intifada,” a term historically associated with Palestinian uprisings.

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His campaign has drawn attention for its far-left platform and rejection of federal immigration enforcement. Mamdani’s statements come as the city faces continued strain on public resources due to an influx of illegal immigrants and pressure on local services.

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New York City remains one of the most prominent sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States, with laws that limit cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement.

Mamdani is seeking to unseat the city’s current mayor in the upcoming November election.

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