New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani shared a video on social media on Sunday outlining immigrants’ rights to refuse speaking with or complying with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, days after federal agents conducted a raid in Manhattan.
In the video, Mamdani pledged to protect the city’s 3 million immigrants, stating, “We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights.”
What Mamdani Said About Legal Protections
He said people in the United States can choose not to speak to federal immigration agents, record them without interfering, and decline requests to enter private spaces. According to Mamdani, ICE agents cannot enter locations such as homes, schools, or private areas of workplaces without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
“ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent. If you’re being detained, you may always ask, ‘Am I free to go?’ repeatedly until they answer you,” Mamdani said. He is set to be sworn in as mayor on January 1.
His remarks came a week after demonstrators gathered while ICE attempted to detain people on Canal Street near New York’s Chinatown. A similar immigration sweep in the same area last October also drew protests.