Politics
Mamdani's Quiet Push to Free Detained Immigrants Faces an Uncertain Future
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has quietly asked President Trump to release about two dozen immigrant New Yorkers from ICE custody, but his staff fears the effort may stall as Stephen Miller gains influence in the White House.
NEW YORK â Mayor Zohran Mamdani has quietly asked President Donald Trump to release about two dozen immigrant New Yorkers held in federal detention, according to two people familiar with the sensitive outreach. The requests, which have not been publicly announced, began after the two leaders' second White House meeting in February and continued through their September sitdown at Gracie Mansion.
The effort builds on an early success: during the February meeting, Mamdani persuaded Trump to release a Columbia University senior who had been detained by federal immigration agents earlier that day. The mayor publicly cited that release as evidence that his unexpectedly cordial relationship with the Republican president could deliver concrete results for city residents.
Since then, Mamdani and his staff have provided Trump's team with the names of roughly two dozen additional immigrant New Yorkers in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, asking the president to order their release. The most recent list was shared during the September meeting at the mayor's official residence, the two people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.
The quiet diplomacy carries significant stakes for New York's immigrant communities, which have faced heightened detention and deportation pressures under the Trump administration. For Mamdani, a progressive who has championed immigrant rights, the behind-the-scenes requests represent a pragmatic attempt to secure individual releases even as he maintains a public posture of cooperation with a president whose broader immigration agenda he opposes.
But the strategy may be running out of time. According to the people familiar with the discussions, Mamdani's staff worries that the effort will peter out as Stephen Miller, the architect of the administration's hardline immigration policies, consolidates influence in the White House. Miller's ascent could make the president less receptive to ad hoc release requests from a Democratic mayor, even one with whom he has developed a working rapport.
The mayor's office did not publicly comment on the private requests. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.
The revelation comes as cities across the country grapple with the consequences of federal immigration enforcement, and as local officials seek ways to protect residents without direct authority over detention decisions. Mamdani's approach â leveraging a personal relationship with Trump to seek case-by-case releases â is unusual and carries political risk, but supporters say it has already produced tangible results for at least one New Yorker.
Whether it can continue to do so may depend on who in the White House has the president's ear.