Mamdani Vows to Sue Over ICE Use of NYC Parking Lots

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned the federal government on Monday that the city will sue if Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to use municipal parking lots for operations. In a letter to the Trump administration, Mamdani declared the agency’s use of city-owned property unauthorized and illegal. He stated that the practice endangers residents and creates fear among those trying to access public spaces.

The mayor’s office is demanding that the Department of Homeland Security issue immediate guidance to ICE agents. The directive would prohibit them from staging or conducting operations in any New York City parking lot. Mamdani’s letter included a direct threat: if agents continue the unauthorized use, the city will take legal action to stop the unlawful commandeering of its property.

This dispute takes place against a backdrop of rising tensions between the city and federal immigration officials. New York has maintained its status as a sanctuary city for immigrants since 1989. The Mamdani administration has repeatedly criticized ICE’s presence in the city, calling for the agency’s abolition after an officer shot Oscar Belgal, 28. Belgal was picking up his five-year-old child from school when the incident occurred.

Lawyers for Belgal alleged that the ICE officer was wearing plainclothes and did not identify himself. They claimed the agent ran to Belgal’s car, smashed the windows, and fired several shots into the vehicle. The city’s legal position gained momentum after the Trump administration lost a challenge to New York’s sanctuary laws in July 2025.

Beyond municipal property, the mayor and more than 100 local elected officials have asked private garage owners to ban ICE from their facilities. In a letter dated 15 October addressed to over 1,000 parking garage owners, Mamdani urged them to stop renting or lending their property to the agency. He wrote that neighbors should not live in fear that a nearby lot could become a staging ground for operations that risk their communities.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security responded to the letter by telling the New York Times that ICE’s presence in public lots is fully authorized under federal law. The official called the practice standard for law enforcement nationwide. The spokesperson added that Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to officers for cleaning up the streets since he will not.

The city’s next step is contingent on the federal response to the demand for new guidance. If ICE does not cease using the lots, legal proceedings will begin to enforce the mayor’s claim of unauthorized use.