New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed what his office described as a "comprehensive" executive order Friday at an interfaith breakfast, using the event to double down on the city's sanctuary policies while unveiling a broad "Know Your Rights" campaign aimed at curbing what City Hall described as federal "overreach."
According to the mayor's office, the breakfast brought together nearly 400 faith and community leaders from across the five boroughs. Mamdani hosted the event at the main branch of the New York City Public Library and signed the order during the program.
City Hall said the executive order "reaffirms the city's commitment to being a sanctuary for all New Yorkers," outlining a wide-ranging set of directives that expand privacy protections and further restrict federal immigration enforcement on city property.
The order also presents the creation of a new committee to coordinate responses across city government and mandates audits to ensure agency compliance with sanctuary laws.
Executive Order 13 states that information collected by city agencies for city purposes must remain protected and may not be shared with federal immigration authorities except as required by law.
Under the directive, each city agency has 14 days to appoint a privacy officer, conduct training and certify compliance with sanctuary-related limits on information sharing, the mayor's office said.
Mamdani's administration also said the order declares city property — including schools, shelters, hospitals, parking garages, parking lots, and other public spaces — to be "for city purposes only" and bars federal authorities from entering those locations without a judicial warrant.
The executive order further directs core agencies to develop and distribute training for city employees on how to interact with federal immigration authorities.
Agencies including the NYPD, the Department of Correction, the Department of Probation, the Administration for Children's Services, and the Department of Social Services are instructed to conduct comprehensive audits of internal policies governing such interactions, update protocols and guidance as needed, and publicly disclose any new policies created as a result.
City Hall said the order also establishes an Interagency Response Committee intended to coordinate crisis policy across city agencies and ensure what the mayor's office called a "whole-of-government response."
Alongside the executive order, Mamdani launched a citywide "Know Your Rights" campaign that will distribute nearly 32,000 flyers and booklets through faith institutions.
According to the release, the materials will be available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Bangla, Russian, Arabic, Kreyòl, Urdu, and Yiddish, and outline rights during encounters with federal immigration authorities, including the rights to remain silent, speak with an attorney, and request a translator.
The materials also explain New York City's sanctuary laws and provide information about the mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs legal support hotline.
In his remarks, Mamdani delivered a blistering critique of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and framed the city's sanctuary approach as a moral obligation.
"As ICE fosters a culture of suspicion and fear, let this city of strangers set an example for how to make the sorrows of others our own," he said. "Let us offer a new path — one of defiance through compassion."
The mayor used apocalyptic language to describe federal immigration enforcement actions.
"If anything unifies every faith across our city … it is a call to action," Mamdani said. "They arrive atop a pale horse, leaving destruction in their wake."
"ICE is more than a rogue agency — it is a manifestation of an abuse of power," he added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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