New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared Tuesday that he has no intention of removing NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, rejecting mounting demands from his own far-left political supporters to dismiss the city’s top police official following a controversial federal immigration enforcement shooting in the Bronx.

The mayor’s public defense of Tisch came as he appeared alongside the commissioner at a ceremony honoring fallen NYPD officers, presenting a united front despite growing tensions between City Hall and progressive activists who have been pressing Mamdani to take a more confrontational approach toward the Police Department.

“Jessica Tisch is the police commissioner. I have no plans to change that,” Mamdani told reporters during a press conference in Queens ahead of the memorial ceremony.

He went on to explain that his decision to retain Tisch was based on her previous efforts to address misconduct within the department’s leadership.

“The reason that I made the decision to have Jessica Tisch as the police commissioner was because of her record of uprooting corruption from the upper echelons of the NYPD,” the mayor said.

The remarks represented a clear rebuff to members of Mamdani’s socialist political base, who have intensified their demands for Tisch’s removal following a shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Bronx last week.

Activists affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America have called for the commissioner to be fired and for two specialized NYPD units to be disbanded, arguing that the city’s policing policies remain incompatible with the priorities Mamdani championed during his political rise.

The dispute has placed the mayor in an increasingly difficult political position, forcing him to balance the expectations of his activist supporters against the responsibilities of overseeing the nation’s largest municipal police force.

Tisch, meanwhile, has presided over a period of significant reductions in violent crime. NYPD figures released in July showed that New York City recorded its lowest number of murders during the first six months of any year since the department began maintaining comparable statistics.

The improving crime numbers have strengthened the commissioner’s standing among law enforcement supporters, even as progressive organizations continue to criticize the department’s practices.

Mamdani and Tisch appeared together Tuesday at the New York City Police Memorial in Lower Manhattan, where the names of 42 deceased officers were formally added to the memorial wall on Liberty Street.

Their appearance marked the first time the two had publicly participated in an event together since City Hall directed the NYPD on Monday to conduct a review of its policies governing the use of force.

That directive followed mounting criticism from anti-police activists and was accompanied by an announcement of additional funding for police oversight.

Critics of the mayor have suggested that the policy review was intended, at least in part, to ease tensions with his left-wing supporters without requiring him to dismiss Tisch or make more sweeping changes to the department’s leadership.

Despite the political controversy, Mamdani and Tisch displayed no outward signs of disagreement during Tuesday’s memorial gathering. Both delivered remarks honoring officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.

The memorial, originally dedicated in 1997, serves as a permanent tribute to members of the NYPD who died while serving the city.

Of the 42 names added Tuesday, 41 belonged to officers and other first responders who died from illnesses connected to their service following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The ceremony also honored NYPD Detective Didarul Islam, a father who was murdered in July 2025 when a gunman opened fire inside a Midtown Manhattan office building.

Addressing the families of the fallen officers, Mamdani expressed appreciation for their sacrifices and acknowledged the personal losses they continue to endure.

“I thank you for loving these New Yorkers, for raising these New Yorkers, for tending to them as they tended to all of us,” the mayor told the assembled relatives.

“While we cannot fill the silence they left behind, we will refuse to let their memory fade,” he added.

Tisch, in turn, thanked the mayor for participating in the ceremony before speaking about the officers whose names were being added to the memorial.

“Here, we pause. We pause to remember the people who helped make all of that possible, and who lost their lives in service to others,” the commissioner said.

The dispute over Tisch’s future has been fueled in part by the October 8 shooting of Oscar Belgal during a federal immigration operation in the Marble Hill section of the Bronx. According to the NYPD’s preliminary account, federal agents approached Belgal while he was seated in a vehicle with a five-year-old child. At least one federal agent fired seven shots, striking Belgal near the neck.

Tisch subsequently stated that NYPD officers had no involvement in the federal operation before the shooting and arrived only after gunfire was reported. Officers provided medical assistance and transported Belgal to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Nevertheless, progressive activists have criticized the NYPD’s response to demonstrations following the incident, with some accusing officers of using excessive force against protesters.

The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has demanded Tisch’s removal and called for the elimination of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, a specialized unit frequently deployed during large demonstrations.

Mamdani has previously supported proposals to dismantle that unit, but it remains operational, adding to frustration among activists who believe the mayor has failed to follow through on important campaign commitments.

On Monday, Mamdani announced a comprehensive review of the NYPD’s use-of-force policies, the first such department-wide examination in approximately a decade. The initiative includes increased funding for the department’s inspector general and procedural changes intended to prevent officers facing serious disciplinary allegations from avoiding proceedings by retiring before their cases are resolved.

The administration has also faced scrutiny over the handling of the 2024 police shooting of 19-year-old Win Rozario in Queens, another case that has prompted demands for greater accountability within the department.

Despite the mounting criticism from his political allies, Mamdani’s decision to retain Tisch has received support beyond his progressive base. A recent Suffolk University poll found that 56% of surveyed voters supported his decision to keep the commissioner in her position.