Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed Tuesday to defend New York’s sanctuary city policies after President Donald Trump announced that, starting Feb. 1, the federal government will stop sending funds to states and cities that have laws that limit local authorities’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
“Our values and our laws are not bargaining chips,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X. “We will always defend New Yorkers, even in the face of federal threats to withhold funds.”
Speaking to reporters later that evening, the mayor said he had reached out to President Trump directly to express his “strong opposition,” although he had not yet received a response.
“There are many threats made against New York City on a regular basis, and I am confident in our city’s ability to confront them. We have also seen, whether in the courts or beyond, our ability to win those battles,” Mamdani said.
That same day, in Detroit, President Trump lashed out at sanctuary jurisdictions, saying they “do everything they can to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens, and that creates fraud, crime and all the other problems that come with it.”
The announcement applies to states and cities with sanctuary policies, including New York, and is part of a broader effort by the administration to tie federal funding to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. However, the White House has not offered more details about the cuts.
The city already faces a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration in July 2025, challenging its sanctuary city laws. The case remains ongoing.
Under these policies, the NYPD and other municipal agencies have restrictions on when they can comply with ICE detainer requests, generally allowing it only in cases involving serious crimes or when a valid court order exists. The rules do not prevent federal agents from making arrests on their own or protect immigrants from local criminal prosecutions.
The policies, which date back to former Mayor Ed Koch’s era in the late 1980s, seek to allow immigrants to access city services and report crimes without fear of automatic federal immigration action.
Last year, the Justice Department released a list of 11 jurisdictions it considers sanctuary, saying their policies or practices hinder federal enforcement of immigration laws. The list includes states, counties and cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, deny certain ICE detainer requests or restrict the sharing of information with federal officials. Both New York State and City are among the jurisdictions mentioned.
Trump’s latest directive follows a series of high-profile events, including the ICE detention of a City Council employee during an expectedly routine hearing on Long Island on Monday, and a massive protest in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday, where thousands marched against federal ICE operations and in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week.
Amid these tensions over immigration enforcement, Mayor Mamdani and President Trump have been in frequent communication since their November meeting at the White House, exchanging text messages at least twice a week, according to reports. Asked about their relationship Tuesday night, Mamdani downplayed the link and said they have only exchanged “a few messages” since the meeting in the Oval Office.
“Those messages, the conversations we’ve had, always come back to New York and the importance of delivering for the people who call this city home,” he said.
At an unrelated news conference Monday, Mamdani was asked whether the city would cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security on issues such as gangs or terrorist activity, and whether he believed the department’s actions over the past year had improved security in New York.
“My guiding principle is to follow the law,” Mamdani responded. “New York’s sanctuary city policies prohibit coordination with ICE agents on city property without a court order. But the laws do allow cooperation with federal authorities on about 170 crimes when there is a conviction. That’s where cooperation is allowed.”
The mayor also criticized ICE’s enforcement of immigration laws for focusing on immigrants whose only “crime” is living in the city. “These raids are cruel and inhumane and do not serve public safety,” Mamdani said, adding that such actions create anxiety among many New Yorkers rather than improving safety.
