Mayor threatens to sue ICE over use of public Queens parking lots

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city would sue the federal government if ICE does not stop using public parking lots as staging areas.  File photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

By Ryan Schwach

Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatened to sue the federal government if the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t stop using city lots – including one in Flushing Meadows Corona Park – to stage immigrant enforcement operations.

In a letter addressed to DHS leadership, Mamdani said that the use of city lots by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “unauthorized and is therefore illegal.”

“If your agents continue any unauthorized use of these lots, New York City will take legal action to prevent this unlawful commandeering of City property,” Mamdani said in the letter.

The Monday letter comes a month after the mayor wrote a similar message, calling on owners of private parking lots and garages to stop allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to use their properties before heading out to make arrests.

In his letter this week, the mayor cited the parking lot outside the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park as one of the lots ICE has been using to stage operations in surrounding areas.

In recent weeks, there have been several reports of ICE making arrests and carrying out operations in the immigrant-heavy neighborhoods of Corona and Elmhurst.

Last week, soon-to-be Assemblymember Brian Romero said he saw two people arrested by ICE in Elmhurst in an operation during which ICE agents allegedly maced one local before throwing them to the ground.

On Monday, the mayor said the federal government had not sought approval from the city before using its lots.

“ICE has not secured any authorization from the City to use these lots for immigration enforcement,” he said. “To be clear: the City does not authorize ICE using its property in this manner.”

“New York City deeply values its immigrant communities and will continue to use all available lawful means to ensure their safety, well-being, and ability to navigate the City and its resources without fear,” Mamdani added. “I look forward to your cooperation.”

In response to the letter, DHS doubled down on its operations in the five boroughs, saying in a statement that “ICE is NOT slowing down.”

“Mayor Mamdani should be grateful to our brave law enforcement officers for cleaning up the streets of NYC since he won’t,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Luckily, no terminated parking will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make New York safe again.”

The spokesperson argued that ICE's use of public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law.

Earlier this year, local officials in Queens took issue with the Bulova Corporate Center on Astoria Boulevard, which was reportedly allowing ICE to use its lot. However, the building’s owners denied ICE had used the property.

More than 100 New York elected officials signed on to Mamdani’s letter last month that told private companies to stop ICE from using their property.

Assemblymember and State Senate candidate Jessica González-Rojas was one of the officials who called out Bulova.

“In my own district, we have seen how parking lots at places like Home Depot, Bulova and even an elementary school have been used as staging grounds for immigration enforcement, bringing fear and uncertainty directly into our neighborhoods,” she told the Eagle in a statement on Monday. “Our immigrant families should not have to worry that going to work, shopping for groceries, or taking their children to school could bring them face-to-face with federal immigration agents.”

She said she applauded Mamdani’s letter.

Though the Hall of Science lot is not in her Assembly district, should she prevail in Tuesday’s election, it will fall into her new State Senate district, which is currently held by Jessica Ramos.

“Our public parks and community spaces should be places where families feel safe, where children can learn and play, and where our communities can gather without fear,” González-Rojas said. “ICE has no business using City-owned property in Queens or anywhere else in New York City to stage immigration enforcement operations. The reported presence of ICE vehicles next to a City-run preschool and the New York Hall of Science in our community is particularly alarming for our families who rely on these spaces.”