NYC mayoral candidates weigh showdown with Trump as immigration protests intensify

New York City’s mayoral candidates are facing a question that could help define them in the home stretch of the Democratic primary: How would they confront President Donald Trump on immigration protests and deportation when the president seems to be spoiling for a fight?

“This is where the rubber meets the road,” said Basil Smikle, a Democratic political strategist. “In this environment, what does standing up to a president look like?”

New Yorkers head to the polls for early voting in less than three days, just as demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown have intensified. City leaders are watching skirmishes in Los Angeles closely, and how local police there are interacting with National Guard troops ordered in by the president.

Many of those running to be the next mayor have already cast themselves as tough defenders of the city’s interests, willing to fight a president who is deeply unpopular among Democrats.

But the latest events involving the deployment of military forces to quell protests in Los Angeles have raised the possibility that the president could order the same intervention in New York City, which is home to more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants. Dozens of demonstrators have been arrested so far in the city, where federal authorities have been apprehending and arresting undocumented migrants during routine court hearings.

“It will happen in New York,” Andrew Cuomo, the race's front-runner, told Bloomberg Radio on Monday, discussing the presence of National Guard troops in the city. Trump, he added, “knows the formula.”

As governor, Cuomo was himself criticized for deploying State Police to New York City at various times amid his ongoing feud with former Mayor Bill de Blasio. During the George Floyd protests of 2020, he blamed de Blasio for losing control of the city to protesters and looters. He even suggested that he could call a state of emergency and order in the National Guard, but later decided against it.

Cuomo has been more reluctant than his fellow Democrats in going after Trump. His recent remarks followed his strongest condemnation of Trump’s immigration policies since he entered the primary.

“Our cities are built on the contributions of immigrants, and while we must address unauthorized immigration, these indiscriminate and aggressive actions sow terror in neighborhoods, disrupt families, and erode the sense of safety for all residents,” he said in a statement.

Several of Cuomo’s left-leaning opponents have also attacked Trump’s policies.

On Tuesday, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced she was demanding an oversight investigation into alleged cooperation between the NYPD and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. She is also leading a City Council lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams over his decision to allow federal agents into the Rikers Island jail complex.

Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” she said Trump "manufactured" the crisis over protesters in Los Angeles to distract from his budget cuts.

Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander, who are polling second and third, respectively, are both considering whether to join any of the upcoming protests.

Lander, the city comptroller, last week joined court watchers and escorted three families leaving a federal immigration courthouse in Lower Manhattan in hopes of deterring arrests. The scene was captured on video.

Lander said he would continue to participate in court watching but was unsure whether he would attend a protest. At the same time, he said, “It’s important for people to show up.”

He criticized the NYPD’s use of its Strategic Response Unit, which responds to demonstrations and has been faulted in the past for aggressive tactics against protesters.

“I want the NYPD officers who are responding to these protests to have a goal of de-escalation,” Lander said.

Mamdani has never been coy about his outrage over Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Earlier this year, a video of him confronting Trump’s "border czar" Tom Homan in the State Capitol went viral. In a recent MSNBC interview, Mamdani described the recent events in Los Angeles as displays of “authoritarianism.”

He said as mayor, he would uphold the city’s sanctuary policies, which prohibit local officials from collaborating with federal authorities on deportation cases. He also said he believed ICE should be abolished, echoing the position of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed him last week.

Both Lander and Mamdani have called on the city to increase its funding for legal assistance for undocumented immigrants. Daniel Coates, the policy director at Make the Road New York, said the city currently allocates $1.5 million to a special legal fund, an amount he described as meager.

“The mayor has a real power to provide legal resources and representation that can be the difference between staying with your family in New York City or being detained,” he said.

There is recent precedent for mayoral candidates deciding to seize a moment and join a fight. In 2013, de Blasio was arrested during a protest over the closure of a Brooklyn hospital.

De Blasio, who was at that point behind in the polls, went on to win the contest. His participation in the protest was later credited with helping to seize attention and foster his reputation as a progressive activist.

Eli Valentin, a political analyst, said the strategy comes with risks, particularly with law-and-order candidates like Cuomo who seek to stand above a crisis.

At the same time, he added, “It falls in line with certain expectations that the Democratic base has when it comes to championing certain issues.”