New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old socialist born in Uganda, has already drawn the attention of the Trump administration. After winning the city’s Democratic primary, soundly beating former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mamdani has been provoked by border czar Tom Homan, who said immigration authorities will “double down and triple down” their efforts on sanctuary cities.
Mamdani has focused his campaign on affordability in the Big Apple. His program also includes free daycare and buses and a plan to make the city “Trump-proof.”
On his campaign website, the candidate said that if elected, his administration would focus on removing Immigration and Customs Enforcement from New York City facilities, ending cooperation with the agency, protecting personal data from outside jurisdictions and “strengthening legal support” for immigrants.
“Donald Trump is tearing at the fabric of New York City in his second term. He has deployed ICE agents to pluck New Yorkers from their families”, he added on his website.
During an interview with Larry Kudlow on Fox Business, the so-called “border czar” responded with a defiant “good luck” when asked about Mamdani’s policy. “Federal law trumps him … every day, every hour of every minute,” Homan said. “Were going to concentrate in sanctuary cities because we know they’re releasing public safety threats and national security threats back to the street, so we know we’ve got a problem there.”
The federal official further explained that if the authorities do not find the unwanted immigrants already in jail, “we will find them in neighborhoods or work sites. Game on, we’re coming.”
Kudlow also asked Homan whether the current mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, is helping the government identify potential illegal immigrants. Homan in turn replied that the first citizen “wants to do the right thing” and wants to be a law-and-order-friendly mayor.
On Wednesday, Trump himself also commented on Mamdani’s primary victory, writing on his social channels: “It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous.”
The president lapsed into personal attacks against the young candidate, stating: “He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, Dummies ALL, backing him is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!”.
