New York, New York - President Donald Trump's border tsar Tom Homan threatened on Tuesday to dramatically ramp up ICE operations across New York City.

"New York City – I plan on being in New York City in the near future, we're going to do operations in New York City," Homan confirmed during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News' America's Newsroom.

"We will increase the enforcement presence in New York City," Homan continued. "Again, because they’re a sanctuary city and there are public safety threats hitting the streets every day."

Homan's plan to ramp up ICE raids across NYC comes weeks after immigration raids in Chinatown saw vendors dragged from their stalls by masked agents and bundled off in law enforcement vehicles.

The incident triggered massive protests across the city and saw New York Attorney General Letitia James launch an online portal via which residents could share footage and images of such arrests.

Less than a fortnight later, Zohran Mamdani was elected as mayor after a campaign based in part on a promise to challenge the Trump administration's brutal crackdown on immigrant communities.

During his appearance on Tuesday, Homan suggested that he'd be willing to meet with Mamdani to discuss future ICE operations.

"If the mayor of New York City wants to come and talk about making the streets safer, open up for discussion," Homan said. "Let's get together and work it out together."

Mamdani's spokesperson Dora Pekec told Reuters in an emailed statement that New York's immigrant population is "central to our city's strength, vitality, and success."

"The mayor-elect remains steadfast in his commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every single New Yorker and upholding our sanctuary laws," Pekec said.