On Feb. 6, six days after the end of his first month in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order no. 13 to restrict ICE operations in the city. This executive order comes just over two months after the mass deployment of ICE agents to Minneapolis, resulting in the arrests of thousands.
In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, ICE Director Todd Lyons allegedly authorized ICE agents to forcibly enter homes without a judicial warrant. Instead, “administrative warrants” issued by immigration officials have been used to enter Minnesota homes and make arrests– these written warrants require no judicial approval.
In a public address upon signing the order, Mamdani arraigned ICE, “Across this country, we bear witness to cruelty… Masked agents paid by our own tax dollars violate the Constitution and visit terror upon our neighbors.”
The order’s purpose, as stated by Mamdani, is to protect New Yorkers from “abusive immigration enforcement.” The order bans agents from entering city-owned properties– shelters, hospitals, schools, parking lots– without an official judicial warrant. It requires city agencies to audit policies on ICE interactions and demands the formation of an “Interagency Response Committee” to respond to escalations of immigration enforcement across the five boroughs.
Alongside the order, Mamdani launched “Know Your Rights–” a campaign to distribute information on legal rights to New Yorkers. Nearly 32,000 flyers were given to faith leaders to share with congregations.
“These materials apply to us all,” Mamdani stated, “those who have been here for five generations, those who arrived last year… because the obligation is upon us all to love thy neighbor, to look out for the stranger.”
“On campus, I’ve seen a mix of solidarity and quiet anxiety,” said Amanda-Francesca Bordei, a junior Political Science student at the University who grew up in New York City. “For many students, especially those from immigrant families like mine, ICE isn’t a headline. It’s personal.”
As aforementioned, city agencies are required to create policies for interactions with ICE. Bordei continued, “Under Executive Order 13, there is a clearer boundary [for ICE operations], and local law enforcement should enforce that. If ICE agents violate local law or the terms of the order, there must be consequences.”
Bordei shared that she herself voted for Mamdani, and expressed a sentiment of optimism about his vision and the city’s future; however, she believes it is “important to be realistic.”
“Executive Order no. 13 is a triumphant measure in standing up to what feels like increasingly authoritarian federal overreach, but no executive order alone can stop a tyrant,” Bordei said.
The day the order was signed, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement “condemning” Mamdani and reaffirming their intention to increase ICE presence.
Mamdani is one of many politicians who are taking a defensive stance against the operations of ICE nationwide— Mikie Sherrill, Governor of New Jersey; Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston; and Brandon Johnson, Mayor of Chicago have all taken direct action against ICE operations this month.
