New York, New York - A court ordered that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani comply with a subpoena for data on immigrants in a shelter, presenting a major setback in his efforts to push back against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In the ruling, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan declared that Mamdani's office is "directed to produce" information it has on specific individuals residing in a New York City shelter.
These include individuals who are allegedly – according to the subpoena – "residing there despite having been ordered removed from the United States" and in some cases have serious criminal histories.
The subpoena was issued a year ago, before Mamdani took office, and is narrowly focused on one particular shelter. It is a blow for the mayoral office, which has been passionately opposed to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdowns.
Mamdani's government has been steadfast in upholding New York's sanctuary laws, which have prohibited the city from helping ICE enforcement. This has thus-far included a block on the sharing of data with immigration agencies.
"We are evaluating next steps," Mamdani spokesperson Ivonne Rodriguez told POLITICO. The Department of Homeland Security refused to comment on the ruling "due to ongoing litigation."
Kaplan argued in the ruling that Mamdani's government must provide the information to immigration authorities because it is "material and relevant to the enforcement of the federal immigration laws."
New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that she's "familiar with the ruling" and "reviewing the possibility of an appeal."
The possibility of an appeal was championed by Mamdani ally Murad Awawdeh, head of the New York Immigration Coalition, who told POLITICO: "ICE's opening demand was the name and date of birth of every man sleeping in city shelters. That is a dragnet, not an investigation."