Yet another pick in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is raising alarm: Faiza Ali’s appointment as chief immigration officer. Ali formerly served as community affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has been accused of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. She has worked with Mamdani on the board of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. What’s more, she has also worked closely with well-known anti-Israel activist and Jew hater Linda Sarsour, who said Jewish supporters of Israel can’t be feminists, invoked the dual-loyalty trope, accused Israel of Jewish supremacy and once tweeted, “Nothing is creepier than Zionism.”

In her years of religious activism, Ali also served as advocacy director at the Arab American Association of New York. She was the first Muslim American woman to serve as deputy chief of staff to a City Council speaker, who was Adrienne Adams at the time.

Mamdani announced the appointment on Monday, saying in a statement, “At a time when immigrant New Yorkers face escalating attacks and uncertainty, this administration will not equivocate. We will defend our neighbors. We will expand access to services.”

Replacing Manuel Castro, who had been appointed by former Mayor Eric Adams, the Midwood native born to Pakistani parents will focus on coordinating immigrant affairs and advising the mayor on immigration policies affecting New Yorkers in her new role as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

“At a time when immigrants are facing escalated and unprecedented attacks, we will prioritize strengthening protections, expanding access to legal and language services, and building real pathways to stability for New York City’s diverse immigrant communities,” Ali said in a statement.

Nihad Awad, executive director of Ali’s former employer CAIR, praised the Oct. 7 attack, extolling what he described as “breaking the siege” of Gaza. He later claimed his words were taken out of context.