DHS says ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityDepartment of Homeland Security spokesperson, in a statement to amNewYork
Responding to Mamdani's letter, a DHS spokesperson says ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law and is standard practice for law enforcement agencies nationwide
Responding to
ICE's use of New York City-owned parking lots to stage immigration enforcement operations without the city's authorization is illegal.
“ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law and is a standard practice for law enforcement agencies nationwide”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Mamdani tells DHS to keep ICE out of city-owned parking lots or face a lawsuit; DHS says the use is legal
On November 2, 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE officials that agents' reported use of city-owned parking lots in the Bronx and Queens to stage enforcement operations is unauthorized and illegal, and that the city will take legal action if it continues. A DHS spokesperson says ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
amNewYork reports on the letter and the Parks policy, quotes Mamdani and Corporation Counsel Steven Banks, and prints a DHS spokesperson's statement that ICE's presence in public parking lots is authorized under federal law.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
amNewYork reports that DHS disputed the city's legal argument after Mamdani sent his letter.
After the quotation
The spokesperson adds that ICE is not slowing down and says Mamdani should be grateful to law enforcement officers for cleaning up the city's streets.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is ICE agents' reported use of unstaffed New York City-owned parking lots in the Bronx and Queens to stage immigration enforcement operations. DHS says that use is fully authorized under federal law and standard practice, which defends it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Zohran Mamdani
More from this case
Read the full caseHochul says she is deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property for enforcement operations
“I am deeply disturbed by reports that ICE is using public property to carry out aggressive immigration enforcement operations.”Read statement
Mamdani says ICE has no right to use city property as a base for tearing families apart
“ICE has no right to use our property as a base for tearing families apart. That goes for every park and every lot this City owns. This unauthorized use of City property must end now”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- DHS says ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8445-responding-to-mamdani-s-letter-a-dhs-spokesperson
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "DHS says ICE's presence in public parking lots is fully authorized under federal law". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8445-responding-to-mamdani-s-letter-a-dhs-spokesperson