Mayor calls for ICE abolition after Manhattan shooting; DHS chief criticizes sanctuary policies
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who rose to prominence on a platform of criticism of Israel, support for immigrants, and calls for changes in policing, was jeered by some of his supporters at two extraordinary scenes this week, and drew a direct response from a Trump cabinet secretary.
On Wednesday evening, Mamdani stood stoically at a vigil marking the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks as pro-Palestine protesters booed and called him a “traitor.” Protesters outside the vigil, held to remember the Israeli and Palestinian dead, expressed frustration that he had not used his seat to do more to advance the Palestinian cause and to change how pro-Palestinian protests are policed. The following night, anti-ICE demonstrators gathered outside a briefing on a shooting that occurred during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in northern Manhattan, chanting “Mamdani is complicit.”
“The transition from activist to executive is one of the toughest challenges in politics,” said David Carlucci, a Democratic strategist and former New York state senator. “And we are seeing that firsthand.”
At the Thursday press conference, Mamdani described the shooting of Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic with a criminal record who was in a car with a 5-year-old child when federal officers fired. The child was not harmed, the mayor said. Mamdani called the incident an “unconscionable and incredibly serious situation” and said ICE should be abolished, calling the agency “rotten to its core.”
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin fired back, criticizing the city’s sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with ICE. “It’s shameful you have a mayor who goes out there and puts criminals over law-abiding citizens,” Mullin said.
The NYPD’s handling of the Thursday-night protests drew further criticism, after video footage began circulating showing officers knocking anti-ICE demonstrators to the ground. Among those knocked down was Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic congressional candidate and close Mamdani ally, who released a statement calling for the abolition of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group and for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to step down. “The NYPD spent more time protecting a militia that just shot someone than protecting New Yorkers,” Avila Chevalier said.
A mayoral spokeswoman said Tisch remains the police commissioner and that there were no plans to change that. The Mamdani administration was reviewing the NYPD’s response to the shooting and was looking into “every action the city can take to protect New Yorkers,” the spokeswoman said. An NYPD spokesman said the Strategic Response Group, the unit Mamdani pledged during his campaign to disband, did not respond to the ICE protests — that it was regular uniformed officers.
Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said the group’s members still see the mayor as a partner but are ready to hold him accountable to his campaign promises. “This week was indicative of some restiveness and a desire among the base to see concrete policy for Palestinian liberation and quicker progress on some policing promises,” Gordillo said.
On the Oct. 7 anniversary, Mamdani released a statement condemning Hamas for committing war crimes while also accusing the Israeli government of a “devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.” Some Jewish groups said the mayor’s remarks gave short shrift to the suffering of Israelis and risked inciting hatred against Jews by focusing on the devastation that followed in the war.
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, criticized Mamdani in an interview for trying to appeal to both sides. “What is surprising is if the mayor thought that somehow he could walk between the raindrops,” Hirsch said. “There is no middle ground between those who want to destroy Israel and those who want Israel to survive.”
Mamdani has so far brushed off the discontent from the left. Asked Thursday about the Oct. 7 protests, he said, “I’m the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for.”
He also reaffirmed his campaign commitment to eliminating the Strategic Response Group, which has been accused in the past of aggressive tactics, and decoupling protest response from counterterrorism. Mamdani also campaigned on moving the response to mental-health crises from the NYPD to a new department, though some of his supporters and protesters have criticized him for being slow to implement the change. “It is something that is a priority, has been a priority, and we will have more to share soon,” Mamdani said this week.
Mamdani has retained Tisch, a well-regarded civil servant who also served in the previous administration, despite pressure from supporters to remove her over tough-on-crime policies they say target low-income New Yorkers. Crime has continued to decrease since Mamdani took office, hitting record lows in shootings and murders.
“For mayors, it’s always been more about contending with, rather than controlling the NYPD,” said Amit Singh Bagga, a Democratic strategist who previously worked for former Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Bagga said Mamdani has navigated the demands of his base and the police force “with far greater skill than might’ve been expected, creating the room he needs to make progress on housing, consumer and worker protection, and affordability.”
The growing anger from the left highlights how Mamdani’s beliefs are sometimes at odds with his role in maintaining public safety. Since he campaigned for mayor, Mamdani has been unapologetic in his denunciation of Israel over its war in Gaza — a stance he and other progressive candidates have used to rally their most loyal supporters. He is also now tasked with protecting the largest Jewish community of any region outside Israel. While he has repeatedly condemned acts of antisemitism, Jewish leaders have said his rhetoric has jeopardized the safety of their community.