New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani chided President Donald Trump after the president threatened to investigate and arrest him for opposing immigration enforcement raids, calling the move an attack on democracy and a warning to dissenters, The Hill reported.
Mamdani responded Tuesday after Trump threatened to arrest him over his opposition to ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city.
Trump made the remarks during a press conference at "Alligator Alcatraz," a detention facility in Florida. He said that if Mamdani blocks ICE agents from deporting individuals, "we'll have to arrest him." Trump also repeated the speculative claim that Mamdani may have entered the United States illegally.
"We're going to be watching that very carefully, and a lot of people are saying he's here illegally," Trump said. "We're going to look at everything."
Mamdani, who immigrated to the United States from Uganda as a child with his family, condemned the president's comments as politically motivated retaliation.
"The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city," Mamdani said in a statement posted on X.
"His statements don't just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you."
The remarks followed recent calls by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., for Attorney General Pam Bondi to denaturalize and deport Mamdani, citing his stance on immigration policy.
Mamdani framed Trump's threat as part of a pattern of political intimidation and fearmongering.
"This is not about law enforcement," Mamdani said. "It's about silencing voices that challenge the administration's cruelty and failure. New Yorkers deserve leaders who will protect them, not turn them into targets."
Trump also praised New York City Mayor Eric Adams during the same press event, calling him a "very good person" and referencing the federal corruption charges against Adams that were dropped earlier this year.
"He had a problem. He was unfairly hurt over this question," Trump said of Adams. "He made a statement to the effect that this is terrible. New York City can't have all these immigrants come in, and he was indicted the following day."
Adams is running for reelection as an independent after departing from the Democratic Party, and he has claimed that he was targeted for criticizing the Biden administration's immigration policies. Federal prosecutors charged him with accepting bribes from foreign businessmen, including one tied to the Turkish government.
The charges were dropped in April.
Mamdani criticized Adams for aligning himself with Trump, calling their connection part of a deeper threat to New York's values.
"[I]t is a scandal that Eric Adams echoes this President's division, distraction and hate," Mamdani said. "Voters will resoundingly reject it in November."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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