[Video below.] New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a Spanish-language video Friday instructing residents on how to refuse entry to federal immigration agents, remain silent during encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and challenge requests to search private property, as his administration intensifies its opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.

The video, released October 23, comes amid escalating tensions between City Hall and federal immigration authorities following a controversial ICE shooting in Manhattan earlier this month. Mamdani has repeatedly demanded that federal immigration operations cease in New York City and has openly called for the agency’s abolition.

In his latest message, Mamdani explains that residents generally have the right to deny ICE agents entry into their homes, schools, houses of worship, and private workplace areas unless the officers possess a judicial warrant signed by a judge or another recognized legal exception applies.

The mayor advises residents to demand proper documentation before allowing agents inside and to explicitly refuse permission if the necessary judicial authorization is not presented.

The guidance distinguishes between judicial warrants, which are issued by judges, and administrative immigration warrants, which are issued by federal immigration authorities themselves. An administrative warrant generally does not authorize agents to enter a private home without consent.

Mamdani also instructs residents to remain calm when approached by federal officers, ask whether they are free to leave, and decline consent to searches when they are legally entitled to do so.

He encourages individuals to consult an attorney before signing immigration-related documents and directs viewers to free, confidential legal assistance hotlines.

The latest video follows a similar message Mamdani released in December 2025, shortly before taking office, in which he explicitly encouraged New Yorkers to stand up to federal immigration enforcement by exercising their legal rights.

“We can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights,” Mamdani declared in that earlier video.

“If ICE does not have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, you have the right to say, ‘I do not consent to entry,’ and the right to keep your door closed,” he said.

Mamdani also warned residents about the tactics federal immigration officers may employ when attempting to gain cooperation.

“ICE is legally allowed to lie to you, but you have the right to remain silent,” he stated.

Addressing individuals detained by immigration authorities, Mamdani advised them to ask, “Am I free to go?” and to repeat the question until officers respond.

The mayor additionally encouraged residents to document immigration enforcement operations, explaining that filming officers is generally permitted as long as individuals do not interfere with their work.

He emphasized that residents should avoid physically obstructing officers or resisting arrest.

“It is important to remain calm during any interaction with ICE or law enforcement. Do not impede their investigation, resist arrest or run,” Mamdani said in the December recording.

The mayor’s campaign against federal immigration enforcement has become increasingly confrontational following an October 8 incident in Marble Hill, where an ICE agent shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national, during an attempted immigration arrest.

According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, federal agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation when they approached Belgal’s vehicle, which also contained his five-year-old son.

At least one federal officer fired seven rounds, striking Belgal in the neck. The child was not physically injured.

Federal authorities maintain that Belgal refused commands to exit his vehicle and struck government vehicles, prompting agents to fire because they feared for their safety. Belgal’s attorneys dispute the federal account, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.

Mamdani responded with an extraordinary denunciation of ICE, accusing the agency of endangering New Yorkers and demanding an immediate end to its operations throughout the five boroughs.

“What happened today was an outrage,” Mamdani declared during an October 8 press conference.

“We know that ICE is rotten to its core,” the mayor said. “Today’s shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known, that ICE operates with impunity, that they sow chaos and terror across our country, that they have killed far more of our neighbors than they could ever have claimed to save.”

Mamdani disclosed that he had spoken directly with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin following the shooting, unsuccessfully seeking Belgal’s release from federal custody.

He also demanded that ICE personnel withdraw from the city.

“This city wants ICE out. We want ICE out of our city, ICE out of our schools, ICE out of our hospitals, ICE out of our streets, ICE away from our kids,” Mamdani said. “We want that because we want to keep the city safe. We do not need them to do so. All they do is terrorize this city.”

The mayor’s latest video reinforces his administration’s commitment to New York City’s sanctuary policies, which generally limit cooperation between municipal agencies and federal authorities in civil immigration enforcement matters.

Those policies, which predate Mamdani’s administration, restrict the circumstances under which city employees and law enforcement personnel may assist federal immigration officers. They do not, however, eliminate federal immigration authorities’ legal power to conduct enforcement operations within New York City.

Mamdani has made protecting the city’s estimated three million immigrants a central priority since assuming office on January 1, 2026.

Federal officials, meanwhile, have defended ICE operations as necessary to enforce immigration laws enacted by Congress and apprehend individuals subject to federal immigration proceedings.

The Trump administration has maintained that local sanctuary policies complicate immigration enforcement and can interfere with efforts to remove individuals who pose public safety threats.

{Matzav.com}