10 hours ago
New York lawmaker Zohran Mamdani accuses Trump of threatening his arrest and deportation over anti-ICE stance, vowing resistance and warning that such intimidation targets all vocal New Yorkers.
Zohran Mamdani would be the city's first Muslim and Indian-American mayor if elected. (File photo)
UPDATED: Jul 2, 2025 05:17 IST
The Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is not backing down. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mamdani blasted President Donald Trump for what he described as a direct threat to his rights and citizenship. The comments come amid Trump’s escalating rhetoric on immigration enforcement and his vow to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations if reelected.
“The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp, and deported,” Mamdani wrote in a statement posted online. “Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city.”
“His statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy,” Mamdani added, “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.”
Mamdani, the son of Ugandan-Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and a vocal critic of US immigration policy, made it clear he is not going anywhere. “We will not accept this intimidation,” he wrote.
Mamdani rose to prominence through his outspoken support for Palestinian rights. He officially secured victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, with a final vote count on Tuesday confirming his upset win over former Governor Andrew Cuomo. He now advances to the general election.
TRUMP THREATENS TO ARREST MAMDANI
Trump has threatened to arrest Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, if he defies federal immigration authorities.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said Mamdani's refusal to allow ICE to arrest undocumented immigrants in the city could lead to legal consequences. "Well, then we'll have to arrest him," Trump said when asked about Mamdani. "We don't need a Communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation."
Trump added, "We send him money. We send him all the things that he needs to run a government. And by the way, they get already, they get about three times what you get, Ron. If you look at the per capita, Florida gets one-third of what New York gets in terms of the numbers."
The Trump administration has also signalled a potential investigation into Mamdani's citizenship. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Republican Congressman Andy Ogles, who suggested Mamdani’s citizenship should be revoked, accusing him of hiding "terrorist" sympathies during his naturalisation process.
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Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Jul 2, 2025
