New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and more than 100 Democratic officials from across the state have sent a letter asking owners of parking lots and garages to deny overnight parking to Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles, according to the Gothamist.
“Make it known to ICE that it is not authorized to use your garages and lots,” Mamdani wrote in the letter.
The letter references the recent wounding of Oscar Belgal, a Dominican national facing criminal charges, who used his vehicle in an attempt to strike ICE agents attempting to arrest him. Agents responded by shooting him.
Signatories to the letter include U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and most of the City Council, along with dozens of other state and local officials.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the effort would not stop federal immigration enforcement in the city.
“Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to our brave law enforcement officers for cleaning up the streets of NYC since he won’t,” the DHS spokesperson told The Hill. “Luckily, no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again.”
The New York letter follows a similar move in Boston in August, where Democratic officials sought to bar ICE from renting or purchasing parking space for its vehicles, despite the agency not operating a facility in the city.
