Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's border czar, denounced New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to resist federal immigration enforcement if elected.

The Trump administration says it intends to intensify federal immigration operations in New York City, responding to Mamdani’s vow to block ICE activities under his potential leadership of the Big Apple, as the New York Post reports.

Speaking at the White House on Monday, Homan dismissed Mamdani’s intentions and asserted that ICE would proceed regardless of local political resistance. “Good luck on that,” he said bluntly.

White House targeting sanctuary jurisdictions

Homan echoed previous comments from Trump, stating the administration would “double down, triple down on sanctuary cities,” including New York.

He argued that local officials were releasing public safety threats.

“They’re releasing public safety threats and national security threats to the streets every day because they don’t honor our requests to detain,” Homan told reporters.

He added that if cities like New York do not cooperate with ICE, agents would carry out more arrests in communities and workplaces instead of through jails.

Mamdani calls out ICE

Mamdani, who recently defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Party mayoral primary, responded by highlighting what he called misconduct during a recent ICE arrest.

In a June 29 interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, Mamdani referred to ICE as a “rogue agency” and criticized the arrest of a migrant at Federal Plaza, alongside the detention of a pastor who observed the incident.

“Those days are going to come to an end when I’m the mayor,” Mamdani said, framing his stance as a defense of civil liberties in the face of federal overreach.

Trump steps in with warning

Earlier this month, Trump threatened to arrest Mamdani if he obstructed federal operations.

The threat escalated tensions between local leaders and the federal government.

Mamdani responded sharply, saying Trump’s comments signaled an assault on democracy and a form of intimidation aimed at deterring civic engagement. “We will not accept this intimidation,” he warned.

He framed the debate as a larger fight for New Yorkers who refuse “to hide in the shadows” in the face of aggressive immigration enforcement policies.

Federal policies clash with local candidate messaging

The contrast between Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has become a key campaign theme.

Adams has worked with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement to some extent.

Mamdani has used Adams’ cooperation with ICE to energize his campaign, promising that, under his leadership, New York would take a firmer stand against federal immigration raids.

As the mayoral election draws closer, immigration enforcement has emerged as a defining issue, exposing the growing divide between local autonomy and federal immigration mandates.