Mamdani to Sue Federal Government Over ICE Use of City Parking Lots

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a threat to sue the Trump administration on November 3, 2026, over the federal government's use of city-owned real estate. The dispute centers on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents allegedly using municipal parking lots to stage enforcement operations without permission from city officials.

Mamdani sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE Director David Venturella, and ICE New York Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. In the correspondence, the mayor described the situation as unauthorized and illegal. He stated that the use of city property endangers residents and sows fear among those seeking access to public spaces.

The letter identifies specific locations where ICE agents have parked vehicles and held meetings. These sites include an unstaffed lot at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and lots along 111th Street in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The Queens locations are situated next to a city-run preschool and cultural institutions that host hundreds of families daily.

Mamdani clarified that the city has not granted authorization for ICE to use these properties for immigration enforcement. He noted that parking lots connected to city parks are reserved for the safe use and enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors. The mayor demanded that federal officials immediately issue guidance prohibiting agents from using any city lots to conduct operations.

The mayor’s office stated that New York City deeply values its immigrant communities and will use all lawful means to ensure their safety. Mamdani wrote that the city will continue to ensure residents can navigate city resources without fear. This action follows a similar letter sent last month to private parking lot owners urging them to ban ICE from their properties.

More than 100 elected officials, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, signed the October letter to private property owners. Mamdani has previously called for the abolition of ICE. That push intensified after an ICE agent shot and killed Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston in July and another agent wounded Dominican national Oscar Belgal in New York City last month.

The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the mayor's threat of legal action. Mamdani stated that if agents continue to use the lots without authorization, the city will take legal steps to stop the commandeering of its property.