Mamdani Threatens Court Fight Over ICE Use of City Lots
Mamdani told federal officials to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from using New York City parking lots as bases for immigration operations without city permission. He warned that the city would pursue legal action if the activity continued, saying the use of its property was unauthorized and put residents at risk of fear and harm.
The mayor’s letter cited reported activity at empty parking areas at Van Cortlandt Park, located in the Bronx, and near Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The Queens location is beside a city-run preschool and cultural sites visited by children. The letter called on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other ICE officials to direct agents not to stage or conduct operations on city lots.
The city also set procedures for Parks Department workers. Employees are to refer requests to enter restricted areas to agency lawyers and are not to admit agents without a judicial warrant or another qualifying authorization. If agents enter without permission, staff are instructed to contact 911 and document the incident when safe, without confronting officers. Requests to use a Parks lot as a staging area must be reviewed by the department’s general counsel.
Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said the city was prepared to go to court if the use continued. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE’s use of public parking lots is authorized under federal law and is standard for law enforcement. Mamdani and other New York officials have also asked private parking operators not to provide ICE with space for operations.
Mamdani Draws a Line Against ICE Using City Property
New York City is pushing back against federal immigration enforcement on property it owns. Mamdani warned the Trump administration that the city would take ICE to court if agents continued using municipal lots as staging areas without authorization, including locations near a Queens preschool and cultural sites used by children.
The mayor’s letter demanded that Homeland Security officials tell agents to stay off city lots. City Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said the administration was ready to follow through if the activity persisted. The city’s position is that public spaces should serve residents, not become bases for immigration operations that can frighten immigrant communities.
New rules tell Parks Department workers to keep federal agents out of restricted areas unless they have a judicial warrant or another qualifying authorization, and to send warrants to city lawyers for review. Staff are instructed to document unauthorized entry when safe and avoid confrontation. Requests to use Parks lots must go through the department’s general counsel.
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE’s use of public parking lots is lawful and routine. But that defense does not answer the city’s central objection: federal agents should not treat local property as theirs to use without consent. Mamdani has also urged private lot owners to deny ICE access.
Mamdani Threatens Lawsuit as ICE Defends Its Use of Public Lots
Mamdani is escalating his clash with federal immigration authorities, threatening court action over ICE agents’ reported use of New York City parking lots. His letter demands that Homeland Security officials order agents to stop using municipal property for enforcement operations without city permission.
The cited sites include parking areas at Van Cortlandt Park, which is in the Bronx, and beside Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The mayor’s administration says the use is unauthorized and has instructed Parks Department employees to keep agents out of restricted areas without a judicial warrant or another qualifying authorization. Staff must route warrants to city lawyers and avoid confronting officers.
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE’s presence in public lots is allowed by federal law and is a standard law-enforcement practice. That is the core dispute: Mamdani is asserting local control over city property, while federal officials defend agents’ authority to carry out their work.
The city says it is prepared to sue if the activity continues. It has also urged private parking operators to deny ICE access, extending the mayor’s effort beyond city-owned property. The dispute now puts the city’s restrictions and the federal government’s defense of its enforcement practices on a potential collision course.
Reported by The Guardian US, amNY, New York Post, ABC7 New York, Raw Story, CBS New York, Fox News.
