Kathrine Frich
Zohran Mamdani is set to become New York City’s next mayor, rising to national attention as a progressive Democrat.
He campaigned on housing, cost-of-living pressures and immigrant protections.
Before entering citywide politics, he built a profile as a vocal advocate for civil liberties and migrant communities.
Now, just weeks after his election, his stance on immigration enforcement has drawn scrutiny from Washington.
Allegations raised
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that Mamdani could be “violating the Constitution” by advising migrants on how to respond if approached by immigration authorities.
Speaking on Fox News’s Hannity, Noem said federal agencies were examining the matter.
“We’re certainly going after and looking into all of that with coordination of the Department of Justice,” she said, adding that Mamdani “could be violating the Constitution by giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and how to get away with breaking the law.”
The comments were first reported by The Hill.
Rights video
Mamdani made the remarks cited by Noem in a “know your rights” video posted Monday on the social platform X.
In the video, he said that as mayor he would “protect the rights” of New York City’s roughly 3 million migrants.
He reminded viewers that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents cannot enter a home without a warrant, while stressing that people should not interfere with investigations.
“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,” Mamdani said.
Legal boundaries
Mamdani also noted that individuals have the right to remain silent, to ask whether they are free to leave if detained, and to film ICE activity as long as they do not interfere with an arrest.
Noem did not provide specific legal grounds for her claim that Mamdani’s comments were unlawful.
Her remarks echo earlier controversies during the Trump administration over public officials outlining constitutional rights.
Wider context
Those disputes included criticism of six Democratic members of Congress who posted a video stating that military service members may refuse illegal orders.
President Trump described that video as “seditious behavior from traitors” and said the remarks were “punishable by DEATH!”, though the White House later said he did not want them executed.
The FBI opened an investigation into the lawmakers, who said they had simply stated established legal principles.
“The president directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said at the time.
“He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet.”
Sources: The Hill, Fox News
