Zohran Mamdani 'needs to be deported': Republicans over NYC mayoral candidate's anti-ICE stance
Calls for the deportation of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani are growing louder among Republicans. While Mamdani himself has vowed to expel the 'fascist' US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out from the city properties. President Donald Trump's Border Czar Tom Homan warned against it, saying, 'Good luck with that.' New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. (AFP)
'It's game on,' Homan told Fox News, a day after Mamdani declared victory over former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens and a Democratic socialist, had made immigration reform a central part of his campaign. His platform promises to 'kick the fascist ICE out' and strengthen New York's sanctuary city protections by cutting off cooperation with federal agents, boosting legal aid, and safeguarding immigrants' data.
'Zohran Mamdani will fight Trump's attempts to gouge the working class and deliver a city where everyone can afford a dignified life,' reads a statement on his campaign website.
Homan responded by saying Mamdani's proposals carry no legal weight.
'Good luck with that, federal law trumps him every day, every hour of every minute,' Homan said. 'We're going to be in New York City, matter of fact, because it's a sanctuary city and President Trump made it clear a week and a half ago — we're going to double down and triple down on sanctuary cities.'
According to Homan, ICE operations will increase in New York due to concerns about public safety and national security. He said more agents would be deployed and worksite enforcement would be expanded 'tenfold.'
Homan also compared New York to Florida, claiming that cooperation with ICE is smoother in Republican-led states. 'We don't have that problem in Florida, where the sheriffs work with us,' he said. 'So we're going to double up and triple up on New York.'
He added, 'Not only are we going to send more agents to the neighborhood, we are going to increase worksite enforcement tenfold.' 'Little Muhammad' needs to be deported
In the latest, Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles ignited a political firestorm this week after referring to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as 'little Muhammad' and calling for his deportation.
'He needs to be DEPORTED,' Ogles wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalisation proceedings.'
In the same post, Ogles labeled Mamdani 'an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York.'
The congressman escalated his rhetoric with a formal letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the Department of Justice to investigate whether Mamdani gained U.S. citizenship through fraud. He cited a 2017 rap lyric by Mamdani referencing the 'Holy Land Five' — individuals who led a Muslim charity shut down for illegally funding Hamas in 2008. Curbing ICE, Mamdani's one of many plans for New York
While his pledge to remove ICE from city facilities has drawn national attention, it is just one part of a broader agenda. Mamdani's campaign also promises to establish city-run grocery stores, freeze rent hikes in rent-stabilised apartments, and make city buses free for all. He says these proposals would be funded through a $10 billion tax increase on large businesses and wealthy residents.
Since 2021, Zohran Mamdani has served as a state assemblyman representing Astoria, Queens. His recent win in the Democratic mayoral primary suggests growing public support for his progressive platform in New York City.
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Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Amid fresh disquiet in Karnataka BJP, rejig buzz as Vijayendra faces turbulence
The recent flurry of visits by senior Karnataka BJP leaders to Delhi to meet the central leadership has again set off speculations in party circles about the possibility of an impending restructuring of the state unit, which may include the appointment of its 'full-fledged chief' and changes in key posts to accommodate rival groups. The performance of current Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly R Ashoka is said to have come under the scanner of the central leadership for 'putting up a weak front' against the ruling Congress. Vijayendra, son of BJP heavyweight and ex-chief minister B S Yediyurappa, was appointed as the state party chief on an ad-hoc basis in November 2023. Ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of the state Legislature, the BJP leaders have ruffled the central leadership for their perceived 'adjustment brand of politics' with the Congress on several public issues, sources said. In recent weeks the state BJP has been perceived to have let the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government get away lightly over various rows, including the bid for a new caste survey, corruption cases, and a stampede at the Bengaluru cricket stadium involving the deaths of 11 people in the wake of alleged overenthusiasm shown by Congress leaders to felicitate the IPL winning RCB team. There has been a perception in state political circles that the Siddaramaiah government has faced more resistance from within the faction-ridden Congress rather than the principal Opposition. Some BJP leaders had even felicitated Siddaramaiah in February this year – while seeking funds for development of Bengaluru ahead of the state Budget – in a sign of camaraderie. There have also been concerns in a BJP section that the party is not geared to 'effectively counter pro-minority policies' of the Siddaramaiah dispensation, which has always been at the centre of the party's attack against the Congress. Following the BJP leadership's recent crackdown against a vocal state faction, including the expulsion of dissident leader and ex-Union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, the leadership of Vijayendra and Ashoka was seen as 'unchallenged'. However, various recent developments indicate that the state BJP leadership issues have yet to be fully settled. Former state party chief and CM D V Sadananda Gowda said this week that the situation in the state unit was like a 'tinderbox' waiting to explode. 'Anything we speak is seen in the wrong light even by our own leaders. All our leaders are caught up in their own small spheres. Every day goes by in listening to the voices from these echo chambers. It creates an impression that everything is fine. I would say that everything is not okay. There is bubbling unhappiness in the party in Karnataka,' Sadananda Gowda told reporters. 'We have to come out of this factionalism and disgruntlement. Once we emerge out of this, only then will we have the strength to counter the Congress government,' he said. 'If there has to be a unanimous decision on a party leader for the state, then there should be widespread consultations, which should not be restricted to a few leaders. The state BJP core committee's existence currently is only notional. There are no issue-based discussions in the committee,' Gowda claimed. He also said the practice of the state president holding consultations with the core committee to firm up the party's strategies has come to a halt. 'The decision on whether a candidate identified to be the state president is good or bad has to be decided by the party cadre. This is not happening. Otherwise, appoint a full time president and we will adjust to working with the chosen candidate, but this is also not happening. We cannot understand this,' he said. On his part, Vijayendra has refuted suggestions that his recent visit to Delhi was linked to any possible leadership change. He however expressed hope that the leadership would soon pick a full-time state president and name him for the post. 'We are a national party. Everyone's opinion has been taken. I am confident that I have done a very successful work in the last one-and-a-half years. Our workers and leaders are confident. So it will be good… for you…and me too,' Vijayendra said Thursday in Bengaluru after his return from Delhi. 'Now the elections of 14 state party presidents across the country have been completed. Very soon a decision will be made on six or seven more states,' Vijayendra said. 'The appointment of the party presidents for Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have not been made,' he noted, claiming that he had gone to Delhi for 'personal reasons' and that other state leaders had done it too. Even LoP Ashok's multiple visits to Delhi could not be seen as a sign of imminent changes, Vijayendra said. 'Ashok is doing a very good job as the Opposition leader. The MLAs are also satisfied with him. However, there is a discussion in the media about a change of Opposition leaders. This is definitely not right,' he argued. 'Those who were expressing dissatisfaction are now out of the party. Some others have expressed small opinions. Union minister Pralhad Joshi and others are working to resolve issues. Everything will be fine,' Vijayendra said. On Sadananda Gowda's remarks, he said, 'Gowda is a senior. I will meet him and discuss with him. I do not agree that it is a tinderbox situation. It is natural to have minor differences of opinion in a party.' The BJP leadership's decision to name Vijayendra as the state ad hoc chief had come months after the party lost power to the Congress in the May 2023 Assembly polls. This was after the party tried to move away from the shadow of Yediyurappa during 2020-2023. The decision sparked resentment in the state party as senior leaders like Yatnal, Basavaraj Bommai, Shobha Karandlaje and C T Ravi were thus forced to follow Vijayendra, a first-time MLA. In January this year, senior BJP leader and Union minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan had said that an election would be held for the post of the Karnataka BJP president as part of the organisational polls. This resulted in Vijayendra's rivals stepping up their attacks on him. In March, the party leadership expelled Vijayendra's key rival Yatnal, suggesting that it favoured a full three-year term for him. There seems to be a view in a large section of the state BJP that the leadership would not take the risk of dislodging Vijayendra from his post as it could also cost the party a backlash from its main support group — Lingayats to which Yediyurappa and his son belong. There appears to be however some uncertainty about the continuance of Ashok despite the point that he is from the Vokkaliga community, another dominant group in the state.
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First Post
38 minutes ago
- First Post
Supreme Court ruling sparks confusion over US birthright citizenship
On Friday, the court's conservative majority approved President Donald Trump's request to limit the authority of federal judges but did not rule on the legality of his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship read more The U.S. Supreme Court's decision related to birthright citizenship led to confusion and calls to attorneys as individuals potentially impacted worked to understand a complex legal ruling with significant humanitarian consequences. On Friday, the court's conservative majority approved President Donald Trump's request to limit the authority of federal judges but did not rule on the legality of his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship. This outcome has created more uncertainty than clarity around a right long interpreted as protected by the U.S. Constitution: that anyone born in the United States is a citizen at birth, regardless of their parents' citizenship or immigration status. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lorena, a 24-year-old Colombian asylum seeker who lives in Houston and is due to give birth in September, pored over media reports on Friday morning. She was looking for details about how her baby might be affected, but said she was left confused and worried. 'There are not many specifics,' said Lorena, who like others interviewed by Reuters asked to be identified by her first name out of fear for her safety. 'I don't understand it well.' She is concerned that her baby could end up with no nationality. 'I don't know if I can give her mine,' she said. 'I also don't know how it would work, if I can add her to my asylum case. I don't want her to be adrift with no nationality.' Trump, a Republican, issued an order after taking office in January that directed U.S. agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of children born in the U.S. who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident. The order was blocked by three separate U.S. district court judges, sending the case on a path to the Supreme Court. The resulting decision said Trump's policy could go into effect in 30 days but appeared to leave open the possibility of further proceedings in the lower courts that could keep the policy blocked. On Friday afternoon, plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit in federal court in Maryland seeking to establish a nationwide class of people whose children could be denied citizenship. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If they are not blocked nationwide, the restrictions could be applied in the 28 states that did not contest them in court, creating 'an extremely confusing patchwork' across the country, according to Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst for the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. 'Would individual doctors, individual hospitals be having to try to figure out how to determine the citizenship of babies and their parents?' she said. The drive to restrict birthright citizenship is part of Trump's broader immigration crackdown, and he has framed automatic citizenship as a magnet for people to come to give birth. 'Hundreds of thousands of people are pouring into our country under birthright citizenship, and it wasn't meant for that reason,' he said during a White House press briefing on Friday. Worried calls Immigration advocates and lawyers in some Republican-led states said they received calls from a wide range of pregnant immigrants and their partners following the ruling. They were grappling with how to explain it to clients who could be dramatically affected, given all the unknowns of how future litigation would play out or how the executive order would be implemented state by state. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lynn Tramonte, director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance said she got a call on Friday from an East Asian temporary visa holder with a pregnant wife. He was anxious because Ohio is not one of the plaintiff states and wanted to know how he could protect his child's rights. 'He kept stressing that he was very interested in the rights included in the Constitution,' she said. Advocates underscored the gravity of Trump's restrictions, which would block an estimated 150,000 children born in the U.S. annually from receiving automatic citizenship. 'It really creates different classes of people in the country with different types of rights,' said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, a spokesperson for the immigrant rights organization United We Dream. 'That is really chaotic.' Adding uncertainty, the Supreme Court ruled that members of two plaintiff groups in the litigation - CASA, an immigrant advocacy service in Maryland, and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project - would still be covered by lower court blocks on the policy. Whether someone in a state where Trump's policy could go into effect could join one of the organizations to avoid the restrictions or how state or federal officials would check for membership remained unclear. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Betsy, a U.S. citizen who recently graduated from high school in Virginia and a CASA member, said both of her parents came to the U.S. from El Salvador two decades ago and lacked legal status when she was born. 'I feel like it targets these innocent kids who haven't even been born,' she said, declining to give her last name for concerns over her family's safety. Nivida, a Honduran asylum seeker in Louisiana, is a member of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project and recently gave birth. She heard on Friday from a friend without legal status who is pregnant and wonders about the situation under Louisiana's Republican governor, since the state is not one of those fighting Trump's order. 'She called me very worried and asked what's going to happen,' she said. 'If her child is born in Louisiana … is the baby going to be a citizen?'
India Today
42 minutes ago
- India Today
How victorious Congress, Pinarayi's party are reading Nilambur bypoll verdict
The Nilambur bypoll victory has set the Opposition Congress in Kerala in a jubilant mood. This is the first time the party has snatched a ruling-front seat in the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) nine-year term since the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF), which it leads, the victory in Muslim-dominated Nilambur is a promising development in the run-up to assembly elections next year. The win has shown the party is capable of putting factionalism behind, uniting its cadre and building a cohesive the CPI(M), whose candidate M. Swaraj lost by over 11,000 votes, had banked on a vote-split from a widening gap between the Muslim religious body Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama and UDF constituent Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the Congress stepped up its campaign on the ground and cornered the Pinarayi Vijayan government on sensitive issues. For instance, the escalating human-animal conflict in Nilambur, located in the Western in the past, the Congress could put up a united face and the IUML actively joined the poll campaign despite its leadership having reservations about the winning candidate Aryaden Shoukath. 'The Congress has reasserted its position for the first time in its nine-year-long history of being in the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan took a bold step by denying P.V. Anvar the Nilambur seat despite the IUML leadership favouring his candidature,' said political analyst S. resigned as Nilambur MLA in January after facing the heat for alleging that additional DGP M.R. Ajithkumar was involved in gold smuggling. Ajithkumar is widely considered as enjoying the trust of the Vijayan government.'Had the Congress yielded and made Anvar its candidate, the victory would have gone into the latter's account. But with a clean win with its own candidate, the Congress can now face the local body polls in December on a confident note,' said as the Vijayan-led LDF is eyeing a third consecutive term in Kerala next year, the Congress can turn things around with a 6 percentage point higher vote-share than in 2021 (38.8 per cent).For the CPI(M), the Nilambur result is an alarm bell against any complacency. 'We are identifying factors that caused our defeat and will take redress measures. The LDF won the assembly polls in 2016 and 2021 on merit. Our government in Kerala has ensured good governance. Setbacks like these (Nilambur) give us more insight as we march forward,' A. Vijayaraghavan, CPI(M) politburo member and a leader involved in the Nilambur campaign, told INDIA the moment, the CPI(M) leadership is sending out signals of weathering the Nilambur storm as it discusses ways to counter the Opposition and scale up welfare delivery in the months leading to the assembly elections. But in the Congress's scheme of things, if not an outright storm, the political wind already looks poised to change Vijayan's move to appoint Ajithkumar as the next DGP of Kerala fizzled out after his name was excluded by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in a meeting held on June 26. The UPSC shortlisted three senior IPS officers for the DGP's post—Nitin Agarwal, road safety commissioner of Kerala; Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, special director at the Intelligence Bureau; and Yogesh Gupta, director general of Kerala Fire and Rescue to India Today Magazine- Ends
