New York City Mayor Zohram Mamdani has slammed the Trump administration’s plan to increase US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement in the city as part of the administration’s anti-immigration initiative.
Responding to a news report about the controversial plan, Mamdani pledged to stand with immigrants, saying, “We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our community.”
The first ever Muslim mayor of NYC credited immigrants for the development and progress of soccer in the United States (US). He said: “Football wouldn’t exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands and make celebrations like the World Cup possible.”
The 34-year-old socialist-democratic mayor highlighted the fact that six of the players on the US men’s national team are immigrants.
He described the Trump administration’s plan as an attempt to divide New Yorkers, adding, “When the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are.”
This comes after President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced an increase in the number of ICE agents in NYC. In an interview with Fox News, Homan said, “You’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City. And it’s coming. I just went over an operational plan. I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming.”
The development is expected to heighten the confrontation between the federal government and New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. Last month, the governor signed a law banning law enforcement officials from wearing masks in the city.
It also prohibited local officers from participating in civilian immigration enforcement.
