Tom Homan, former Border Czar under President Donald J. Trump, has declared that immigration enforcement operations in New York City will persist despite the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor. Homan, who previously served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), emphasized that “nothing changes” in the administration’s approach to immigration control.
Mamdani, an Ugandan immigrant elected on Tuesday, has pledged to uphold New York City’s “sanctuary” policies, which restrict local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities. Homan, however, reiterated his commitment to ICE operations, citing a focus on detaining immigrants with criminal records. He highlighted recent surges in arrests targeting individuals accused of severe crimes, including rape, murder, and child exploitation, during nationwide raids this year.
The Trump administration has also aimed to expand ICE’s daily arrest capacity to approximately 7,000 through increased funding, a goal Homan described as “turbocharging” enforcement. Meanwhile, Mamdani criticized ICE as a “rogue agency,” accusing it of unfairly targeting immigrants. He proposed allocating $100 million in taxpayer funds for legal defense for undocumented individuals, calling it a central pillar of his incoming administration.
The clash underscores growing tensions between federal immigration policies and local efforts to limit cooperation with ICE.
