New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced backlash after urging private parking garages to deny ICE space for operations. He said more than 100 elected officials backed his appeal to business owners across the city. Critics challenged the request, questioning whether private businesses should refuse service to federal agents.
In a post on X, Mamdani called on parking lot and garage owners to stop accommodating ICE. “Don’t give ICE a place to operate. Don’t rent to them. Tell them they’re not welcome,” he said.
He linked the appeal to a shooting in Marble Hill the previous week. According to Mamdani, ICE agents shot Oscar Belgal in the neck while his five-year-old son sat in the car. He said the agents had staged their operation from a nearby private parking lot.
While city laws restrict ICE operations on public property, the mayor urged private owners to take similar action. He pointed to a garage on Morton Street that removed ICE vehicles after neighbors spoke out. “Every owner has that power,” he said.
Zohran Mamdani Faces Backlash Over ICE Parking Garage Appeal
The proposal drew criticism over private businesses’ rights, potential legal consequences and efforts to restrict federal immigration enforcement.
“Refusing service to people you don’t like? Didn’t we have a decades long movement to stop people from doing that?” one user questioned. Another criticized the pressure on business owners, writing, “Sounds like you’re pressuring private property owners to make it harder for federal agents to do their jobs. That’s a dangerous use of the mayor’s office.”
Others raised concerns about potential consequences for participating businesses. “Your demand is illegal on multiple levels and exposes NYC garage and lot owners to massive civil suits from victims and their families,” one response claimed.
Another called for a boycott, writing, “Based on this request, I call on all Americans to boycott any company that prevents our law enforcement from being able to do the job they were hired for.”
Whether more private garage owners will follow the Morton Street example remains unclear. Mamdani did not announce any requirement for businesses to comply with his request.
