New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that the New York City Police Department will not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under his administration, reaffirming a central campaign promise as federal authorities prepare to increase enforcement in the city, as reported by Fox News.

Mamdani’s comments came hours after border czar Tom Homan announced that federal immigration officials would soon ramp up operations in New York.

“We can never go back to the days where Eric Adams would go on national television and open the door to the NYPD handling civil immigration enforcement. That can never even be entertained,” Mamdani said in an interview with PIX11 News.

“People are living in fear.”

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He added, “And what we will ensure is that the NYPD will be delivering public safety, not assisting ICE in their attempts to fulfill the administration’s goal of creating the single largest deportation force in American history.”

Mamdani was asked how he would address communications between NYPD leadership and ICE after reports that Commissioner Jessica Tisch had been “tipped off” about an earlier federal raid.

Mamdani said he would instruct the commissioner “to ensure no officers are assisting with the actions of ICE.”

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Under the Adams administration, NYPD personnel were reportedly allowed to assist with criminal immigration enforcement operations, but an Adams spokesperson said they were not directed to help with civil immigration enforcement.

On Wednesday, after months of speculation, Mamdani confirmed that Tisch will remain as police commissioner. Questions about ideological differences between the two had centered on units such as the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, which handles large-scale events, protests and mass-shooting responses.

Mamdani told PIX11 that the group “will not exist anymore” once he takes office.

When asked if he had conceded anything to persuade Tisch to stay, Mamdani did not indicate whether any compromises were made.

“I spoke to the commissioner about the fact that I am looking to keep her in this position because of the work that she has done, not because of the idea that I have of overhauling all of it. It’s about building that together,” he said.

He added that the two share a “real shared alignment” regarding the role of police.

“Both the commissioner and I have a shared agreement on the fact that the police should not be asked to handle the fact that our social safety net is coming apart at the seams – that is a responsibility for city government.”

Mamdani also reiterated that the NYPD’s overall headcount will not increase during his tenure, even if Commissioner Tisch expresses a preference for expansion. “I will be the one who has the final decision,” he said.

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