Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday signed an executive order bolstering New York City’s sanctuary city protections, reaffirming limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and expanding privacy safeguards for immigrant and other residents. The order was announced at the administration’s first annual Interfaith Breakfast at the New York Public Library and is aimed at limiting federal enforcement actions within the city.
The order, effective immediately, tightens restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to city-controlled locations, including schools, shelters and hospitals, by barring entry without a judicial warrant. It also requires city agencies to strengthen protocols that prevent sharing of resident data with federal authorities except as required by law.
Mamdani introduced a “Know Your Rights” initiative alongside the order, distributing nearly 32,000 multilingual flyers and booklets to faith institutions to educate New Yorkers — particularly immigrant communities — about legal protections during encounters with federal immigration agents. Materials explain rights such as remaining silent, requesting an attorney, obtaining a translator and understanding sanctuary law limits on enforcement.
“Across this country … masked agents, paid by our own tax dollars, violate the Constitution and visit terror upon our neighbors,” Mamdani said in prepared remarks. “That is why … I am signing an executive order that will strengthen our city’s protection of our fellow New Yorkers from abusive immigration enforcement.”
City officials said the order initiates audits of agency compliance with sanctuary laws and establishes an interagency committee to coordinate responses should federal actions escalate. Agencies must designate privacy officers, complete training, and certify policy compliance within 14 days, according to city documents.
Supporters of sanctuary policies said the executive order will provide clarity and security for immigrant residents concerned about federal immigration enforcement disrupting daily life, schooling and access to city services. Critics of similar measures nationally argue they could hinder federal law enforcement and raise legal tensions, though no federal action challenging the order has been announced.
New York City has been a sanctuary jurisdiction for years, adopting policies that generally prohibit city resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law and limit cooperation with agencies such as ICE. The latest order builds on those longstanding policies by enhancing privacy protections and compliance oversight.
At the breakfast, faith and community leaders from across the five boroughs attended the announcement. City Hall officials said the materials distributed through the rights campaign are available in nine languages including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and Urdu.
