City and federal officials dispute access
Mamdani, a Democrat, outlined the city's objections in a Nov. 2, 2026 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director David Venturella and ICE New York field office Director Kenneth Genalo. He said ICE had not obtained permission to use the lots and called its reported activities there unauthorized and illegal.
"If your agents continue any unauthorized use of these lots, New York City will take legal action to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property," Mamdani wrote. He asked the officials to direct agents immediately to stop staging or conducting enforcement operations in city lots.
A DHS spokesperson rejected that position, saying ICE's presence in public parking lots is "fully authorized under federal law and is a standard practice for law enforcement agencies nationwide." The spokesperson added that "no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again."
Mamdani argued that park parking lots are meant for residents and visitors using the parks. He said ICE's activities endanger residents and create fear among people seeking access to city property.
Park locations and new staff instructions
The mayor's letter described reports of agents parking vehicles and meeting in unstaffed city lots at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and along 111th Street beside the western edge of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The Queens locations are next to a city-run preschool and cultural institutions serving hundreds of children and families daily.
Hands Off NYC, an ICE-watch group, reported at least five sightings of federal agents at Flushing Meadows Corona Park from Aug. 21 through Oct. 16, 2026, according to information the group provided to Documented NY.
The administration accompanied the Nov. 2 letter with a new NYC Parks policy directing workers to refuse ICE agents access to city lots or non-public park areas unless they have a warrant. Officials said employees could face discipline for failing to follow the policy. The instructions also prohibit workers from engaging in verbal or physical altercations with agents.
The city bases its position on a February 2026 executive order from the Mamdani administration. That order prohibits non-local law enforcement agencies, including ICE, from holding meetings on city property without permission or a warrant, according to Documented NY.
An earlier appeal to private lot owners
The dispute over public property follows an effort to keep ICE from staging operations on private property. On Oct. 16, 2026, Mamdani and more than 100 elected officials urged New York City's private garage and parking lot owners to withhold access. Their letter asked owners not to "rent, lend or otherwise make your property available to ICE as a staging area for its enforcement operations."
According to the NYC Mayor's Office, that appeal followed the shooting of Oscar Belgal by ICE agents in Marble Hill while his 5-year-old son was in the car. The office said agents had reportedly used a private lot a few blocks away to stage operations.
Separately, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act earlier in 2026. The law bars state and local law enforcement agencies from making agreements to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement, according to the NYC Mayor's Office.
Political criticism and questions about a lawsuit
Queens City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, a Republican, said the federal government would ignore Mamdani's demands. "New York is not an independent nation that operates on its own immigration policies," she said, according to CBS News New York.
Aaron Saiger, director of the Fordham Urban Law Center, told Documented NY that the city's ability to file a lawsuit does not establish whether it would succeed. He said restricting access to lots open to the public is harder than restricting lots reserved for city employees. A case could raise the question of whether the city would have to exclude the broader public rather than only non-local law enforcement.
