Mamdani Threatens Lawsuit Over ICE Use Of City Lots

Zohran Mamdani is taking a hard swing at the Trump administration over claims that ICE used city-owned parking lots in New York City to stage immigration enforcement. The dispute is centered on whether federal agents used municipal property without permission, and Mamdani is treating it like a legal line in the sand.

In a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE Director David Venturella and ICE New York Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo, the mayor said he was deeply troubled by reports that ICE agents used city property for enforcement operations. He argued that the practice was unauthorized and illegal, and warned that New York City could pursue legal action if it continued.

The letter lays out a blunt message: city-owned space is not supposed to be turned into a federal staging ground. Mamdani said the alleged use of these lots puts residents at risk and creates fear for people simply trying to use public property, especially in neighborhoods where parks and civic spaces are part of everyday life.

According to the mayor, the reported activity took place in several unstaffed city parking lots, including one at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and others near Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. That location drew extra attention because it sits close to a city-run preschool and cultural institutions that bring in children and families every day.

Mamdani made his position plain in the letter, saying ICE had not received authorization to use the lots for immigration enforcement. He wrote that New York City does not approve of ICE using city property in that way, and said parking lots tied to city parks are meant for the safe use of New Yorkers and visitors.

He also pressed for immediate action, telling federal officials to direct agents to stop using city lots for enforcement operations. The language was sharp, and it matched the broader tone Mamdani has used in past battles over immigration enforcement, where he has often framed ICE as a threat rather than a law enforcement partner.

That stance did not come out of nowhere. Last month, Mamdani and other New York Democratic leaders urged private parking lot owners not to rent or lend their property to ICE, arguing that such spaces should not be used as staging areas for federal operations. The push added another layer to the city’s effort to shut down what it sees as cooperation with immigration enforcement.

He also has a long record of going after ICE directly. After an ICE agent shot and killed Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July, and after another agent shot and wounded Dominican national Oscar Belgal during an operation in New York City last month, Mamdani renewed calls to abolish the agency altogether.

That broader fight has pulled in major Democratic names as well. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were among more than 100 elected officials who signed onto Mamdani’s October letter, showing how deeply the issue has spread through New York’s political class.

The clash now sits at the intersection of immigration policy, local property rights and raw political theater. Mamdani has drawn a bright line around city property, ICE is operating under pressure, and the next move could turn a parking lot dispute into a much bigger legal and political fight.