New York, NY—Today, NYC Mayor Mamdani released a letter calling on private New York City garage and parking lot owners to prevent and block United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using their property as a staging area for their enforcement operations and terrorizing New Yorkers.
The letter comes amid increased calls from advocates and elected officials urging the Target location at the Shops in Marble Hill to end all cooperation with ICE. For months, agents have been spotted using the plaza’s parking lot as a staging area for ICE enforcement operations, including shortly before an ICE agent shot Oscar Belgal last week. This is an important step toward limiting ICE’s ability to operate in our neighborhoods. But asking private businesses to keep ICE out is not enough. Mayor Mamdani must take stronger action to stop ICE from operating in New York City, including ending any cooperation between the NYPD and federal immigration authorities that facilitates immigration enforcement.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Our neighborhoods should be places where families can live, work, and go about their daily lives without fear of being targeted by ICE or worrying that their children will become collateral damage in an ICE operation. We applaud Mayor Mamdani for urging private garage and parking lot owners to end their complicity with ICE’s violent actions. While this is a step in the right direction, more decisive action is needed to ensure that federal immigration enforcement is not facilitated by the NYPD. Every New Yorker, including business owners, has a responsibility to protect the people who keep the city running. Last week’s shooting of Oscar Belgal is a devastating reminder that ICE’s presence in our neighborhoods puts lives at risk, spreads fear, and undermines the safety of every New Yorker.”