New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has reiterated that he intends to preserve and defend the Big Apple’s long-standing “sanctuary” policies, even after meeting with President Donald Trump last week at the White House.
Speaking to congregants at a church in the Bronx, Mamdani said he was upfront with the president about their differences on immigration enforcement.
“I shared with the president directly that New Yorkers want to follow the laws of our city,” Mamdani said.
He noted that the city’s “sanctuary” framework permits coordination with federal authorities only in about 170 serious criminal cases.
However, he then claimed that “beyond those crimes, the many New Yorkers who are being arrested, they’re being detained, they’re being deported for the crime of making a regular court appearance.”
“My focus as the next mayor of this city is going to be to protect immigrants who call this city their home,” he said.
However, “sanctuary” policies protect illegal aliens from federal law enforcement, not legal immigrants or American citizens, an important difference often conflated by the Left.
Reporters Press Mamdani on Tensions with Trump
After the church event, reporters asked Mamdani whether he expected friction with the Trump administration over New York’s sanctuary city stance.
Mamdani declined to predict how the White House might respond.
“I’ll let the president speak for himself,” he said.
“But I did make very clear that our focus comes back to public safety, delivering for each and every New Yorker and knowing that there may be disagreements between the president and myself, and there will continue to be.”
“And I will always make the case for each and every person that calls this city home,” he added.
Cooperative Start Despite Policy Differences
Mamdani’s remarks follow a meeting with President Trump in which both men emphasized areas of agreement, particularly on affordability issues and efforts to improve quality-of-life conditions in New York City.
Trump acknowledged that the two discovered they “had more in common” than expected and said he intends to support the mayor-elect as he takes office.
“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,” Trump said Friday.
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