New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman's approach to immigration enforcement during a WNYC interview highlighted Friday by New York Democrats.
Mamdani argued that Blakeman's support for greater cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was at odds with concerns about the agency's conduct, according to a New York State Democratic Committee news release.
Mayor challenges Blakeman's position on ICE
The party quoted Mamdani describing Blakeman's position as “a complete abdication of responsibility and an unbelievable chasm between what New Yorkers want to see and what he is putting forward.”
Mamdani said Blakeman was campaigning on increased coordination with ICE and had recently questioned whether the agency had violated anyone's rights in New York City, according to the release.
The committee linked its criticism to a Thursday POLITICO report that it said quoted Blakeman questioning accounts of serious injuries and abuses by ICE in New York.
Blakeman has defended immigration officers' work and argued that media coverage has amplified attention on the agency. In a separate CBS New York interview previously covered by FL1, he said officers have a difficult job and criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul's immigration policies.
Interview also turns to campaign videos and city conditions
In another exchange quoted by the committee, WNYC reporter Brigid Bergin said Blakeman had not accepted repeated invitations to appear on the show. Mamdani responded with a joke about whether the invitation had offered him the option of making an artificial intelligence video instead.
Mamdani also disputed Blakeman's portrayal of New York City, pointing to what he described as declining violent crime and his administration's work on affordability.
WNYC lists Mamdani's appearance on its Thursday, Oct. 29, edition of Who's Running This Place, hosted by Bergin. The committee linked the interview recording in its Friday statement.
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