Mamdani threatens to sue ICE for ‘illegal’ use of city-owned parking lots

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday threatened to sue federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless its agents immediately stop using city-owned property as staging grounds for its operations. The mayor sent a letter to the Trump administration demanding that ICE cease its “illegal” use of city-owned lots for immigration enforcement operations, arguing that the activity endangers New Yorkers and “sows fear” among those seeking to access city property. Mamdani also called on the federal agency to issue guidance barring agents from using city-owned lots to stage operations, warning that the city would pursue legal action if ICE fails to comply.

“ICE has no right to use our property as a base for tearing families apart. That goes for every park and every lot this City owns. This unauthorized use of City property must end now,” Mamdani said in a press release. “Today, I’m telling DHS to order its agents off our lots. If they keep coming back, we will see them in court.”

The letter, addressed to officials including Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella, follows reports that ICE agents have parked vehicles and held meetings at several unstaffed, city-owned lots.

ICE was reportedly using a lot near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and several lots along 111th Street on the western edge of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. The Queens properties sit directly adjacent to a city-run preschool and several cultural institutions that serve hundreds of children and families each day.

According to the mayor, ICE has not obtained city authorization to use the lots as staging areas. Mamdani argues that city parks are intended for the safe use and enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors, and that ICE’s presence for other purposes constitutes “unauthorized activity” on city property.

To prevent further unauthorized use of city-owned property by ICE, the Mamdani administration has been working with city agencies under Executive Order 13, signed in February, to update policies and protocols governing access by non-local law enforcement agencies.

Alongside the letter to ICE, the administration announced a new policy for NYC Parks’ frontline workers that strengthens existing procedures for responding to attempts by non-local law enforcement agencies, including ICE, to access public and non-public areas of park property.

The new policy and ongoing staff training will better equip Parks employees to enforce local laws and protect park spaces for the safe enjoyment of all New Yorkers.

Mamdani’s letter marks the latest development in New York City’s pushback against the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts across the five boroughs. According to a May audit from the mayor’s office, immigration enforcement arrests in NYC increased by 71 percent between January 2025 and March 2026 compared with the same period under former President Joe Biden.

NYC has long maintained sanctuary city laws that protect anyone targeted by immigration authorities, except for those with serious criminal convictions. The city’s approach has been a point of conflict with the Trump administration, which has pursued an aggressive escalation of immigration enforcement since the president began his second term.

The Trump administration challenged NYC’s sanctuary policies in a lawsuit, but a federal judge dismissed the case in October, ruling that the federal government cannot compel local police and other city agencies to assist in enforcing civil immigration laws.

Earlier last month, Mamdani joined more than 100 elected officials in a letter to ICE demanding that the agency end its enforcement operations in the five boroughs, following an incident in which a federal ICE agent shot a man in a car with his five-year-old son in Marble Hill. Agents have reportedly been staging operations in a private lot a few blocks from the scene.

The letter also urged private parking garage owners and operators to bar ICE from using their facilities for enforcement activities in the city.

In response, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin blamed New York’s sanctuary policies, telling the New York Times: “When you have sanctuary cities and sanctuary politicians, you endanger the safety of the public.”

Another DHS spokesperson told the Times that ICE’s use of city-owned lots was legal, saying: “ICE’s presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law and is a standard practice for law enforcement agencies nationwide.”

It remains unclear what legal action the mayor would pursue if ICE continued to use city-owned lots without authorization.

“NYC deeply values its immigrant communities and will continue to use all available lawful means to ensure their safety, well-being, and ability to navigate the City and its resources without fear, Mamdani concluded in the letter. “I look forward to your cooperation.”

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