New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is heading into office amid an intensifying confrontation with the White House after releasing a video instructing immigrants on how to legally resist federal enforcement actions. The message, posted Sunday, followed a tense ICE operation in Manhattan's Chinatown that drew nearly 200 protesters and prevented federal agents from conducting a planned raid.
"Last weekend, ICE attempted to raid Canal Street and detain our immigrant neighbours," Mamdani said in the video. "As mayor, I'll protect the rights of every single New Yorker. And that includes the more than 3 million immigrants who call this city their home." The 34-year-old Democrat stood beside a flip chart labeled "Know your rights," outlining legal protections he said every immigrant should understand when faced with federal officers.
Mamdani detailed that ICE cannot enter homes, schools or workplaces without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. He displayed examples of valid warrants versus administrative forms that hold no legal authority for forced entry. "You have the right to say, 'I do not consent to entry,' and the right to keep your door closed," he advised. He added a warning about deceptive tactics: "ICE is legally allowed to lie to you. But you have the right to remain silent." If detained, he told viewers they may ask, "Am I free to go?" repeatedly until they receive an answer.
The message arrives as President Donald Trump accelerates his immigration enforcement agenda. ICE has been arresting roughly 1,100 people per day in recent weeks, with more than 65,000 individuals now in federal detention. Raids have expanded beyond factories and farms to hotels and restaurants, leaving several industries short-staffed. In June, violent protests in Los Angeles prompted the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, with property damage estimated at £80 million ($107 million).
Mamdani's video provoked an immediate conservative backlash. Commentator Carmine Sabia wrote, "Then you ignore laws that you do not like? We should not bother to have borders or immigration laws." Another critic, Liz Rios, accused the mayor-elect of "aiding, abetting and advising criminals." New York's immigrant community includes an estimated 412,000 undocumented residents, according to 2022 data from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The sharp exchange marks a dramatic shift from Mamdani's meeting with Trump on 21 November, which both sides described as unusually cordial. Trump defended the incoming mayor from Republican attacks calling him a "jihadist," saying, "We agree on a lot more than I would have thought. I want him to do a great job, and we'll help him do a great job." Yet Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal funding from New York and suggested deploying the National Guard if Mamdani won the election.
The video directly addressed a 29 November ICE operation in Lower Manhattan. Federal agents gathered at a parking garage near Canal Street but were blocked from leaving by protesters who formed human barricades and piled trash bags across exits. Police deployed pepper spray and made arrests as tensions escalated. It was the second major enforcement action in the district in six weeks; in October, more than 50 agents using military-style vehicles arrested nine West African immigrants, setting off large demonstrations.
Immigrant advocates have responded to the enforcement spike by creating neighbourhood alert systems. In Los Angeles, some residents have used Amazon Ring doorbell cameras to warn neighbours of ICE activity. Mamdani, Uganda-born and soon to be New York's first Muslim mayor and first immigrant mayor in half a century, campaigned on strengthening the city's sanctuary policies and resisting federal crackdowns.
