Muslim New York mayoral candidate calls Trump’s deportation threat ‘attack on our democracy,’ vows not to give in

The new Democratic nominee for mayor of New York on Tuesday denounced US President Donald Trump’s threat to arrest and deport him, calling the statement “an attack on our democracy” and vowing to “not accept this intimidation,” Anadolu reports.

“The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents) terrorize our city,” Zohran Mamdani wrote on X, referring to ICE’s recent controversial crackdown on irregular immigrants.

Mamdani said the president’s statements represent not only “an attack on our democracy” but also a warning to every New Yorker who refuses to stay silent, adding: “If you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.”

Mamdani has lived in the US since he was 7 and became a US citizen in 2018.

Earlier, Trump dismissed Mamdani as a “total nut job.” During a roundtable on immigration policy in Florida, when asked about his response to Mamdani’s stance against ICE, Trump replied: “Well, then we’ll have to arrest him.”

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Trump has long called for the arrest and jailing of his political opponents, from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to California Governor Gavin Newsom, often without specifying what charges they might face.

The Trump administration immigrant crackdown has targeted irregular migrants – or those who may look to have a migrant background – but earlier this month told its lawyers to prioritize trying to strip naturalized citizens for alleged criminal offenses.

Mamdani defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in last week’s Democratic primary – as confirmed this week after rank-choice votes were counted – positioning him to become the Big Apple’s first Muslim mayor.

New York leans heavily Democratic, though Mamdani could face an independent candidate challenge from Cuomo or current Mayor Eric Adams, a former Democrat who is seeking reelection.

New York is due to elect its mayor this Nov. 4.

Mamdani has been a vocal supporter of Palestine and a critic of Israel. While in college, he co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, and in 2023, he joined a hunger strike outside the White House demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

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