After Visiting Hindu Temples in Queens, NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani Pledges to Protect Immigrants and Uphold Sanctuary City Status

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani strongly denounced federal immigration enforcement, vowing to defend the city’s immigrant community from ICE raids and maintain New York’s status as a sanctuary city, during a press conference outside the Ganesha Temple in Flushing on Sunday. The event followed his visits to some of the city’s oldest Hindu temples, where he met with members of the Hindu Indian community.

Addressing the South Asian press, Mamdani positioned himself as a staunch defender of immigrant rights, saying, “New Yorkers are living in fear, oftentimes of even leaving their homes… because they’ve seen how ICE is treating people across this country.” He stated that if elected, the city would have “a mayor who stands up for the people of this city, not one who is looking to either collaborate with Donald Trump or coordinate with Donald Trump, which is what we’ve seen from Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo.”

Mamdani, who would be the city’s first immigrant mayor in generations, promised to be a mayor “who’s proud of our sanctuary city status” and “willing to defend those same immigrants,” asserting that “the entire fabric of this city is built on that notion of being a welcoming place.” His message was a direct response to a question about concerns from immigrant communities, including Nepalis, regarding ICE raids at workplaces and other sensitive locations.

Mamdani spoke about his personal connection to the Hindu community, noting his mother’s family is Hindu and that he grew up with a “keen understanding” of the faith, traditions, and values, such as those demonstrated by the concept of seva (service).

“I’m proud of my Hindu heritage, I’m proud to be someone who would be the first Muslim mayor of this city, and I’m proud to hold all of those things together,” Mamdani said, emphasizing that his mayoral vision centers on a “unified purpose” to make the city affordable, and one “where everyone’s dignity and decency is never in question.”

In addition to immigration policy, Mamdani was questioned about the challenge Nepali Americans face in accessing city resources due to language barriers. He pledged to expand linguistic justice by “empowering nonprofits that have these specific capacities by actually paying them the money they are contracted for,” and ensuring the city “understands its own responsibilities” to communicate in various languages, including Nepali, Tibetan, Hindi, Gujarati, and Punjabi.

Finally, when asked about a banner from a pro-Andrew Cuomo group that attacked his identity by using the term “Global Intifada,” Mamdani dismissed the former Governor’s tactics as a “politics of division.” He countered that New Yorkers are focused on affordable rent, childcare, and groceries, and deserve a mayor whose politics speaks about people and who understands that their “dignity is non-negotiable.”