Mayor Mamdani drafts letter urging NYC garage owners to bar ICE use

Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to circulate a letter to private garage and parking-lot owners across New York City, requesting they deny any access to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for staging enforcement actions. The draft cites at least four cases where ICE used private lots, including a Bronx garage linked to the recent shooting of Oscar Belgal, an illegal-immigrant who was wounded while trying to flee agents.

Mamdani argues that such arrangements threaten owners, employees and customers, and he appeals to their sense of solidarity with immigrant New Yorkers. The proposal aligns with the city’s sanctuary stance, which limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It is being pushed by Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America supporters, who are also targeting Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch for alleged policy violations, despite the NYPD’s lack of involvement in the incident.