Mamdani, Letitia James announce legal action to thwart enforcement of illegal immigration

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside New York state Attorney General Letitia James.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that the city as well as the state of New York are suing the federal government in an attempt to further stymie its efforts to police illegal immigration.

The mayor and the state attorney general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to avoid complying with a new public charge rule, which prohibits state and municipal officials from issuing green cards to immigrants who use government-funded programs like Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). 

At a press conference Monday, Mamdani said, "We are confronting this injustice with the solidarity and action that it demands — New York City is leading a coalition of cities and counties, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Clara County and King County to sue the federal government for the gross illegality of their new public charge rule and the irreparable damage that it will cause." The new rule was formally announced in July and is set to go into effect on September 18. 

The lawsuit marks the most significant standoff between the mayor and President Trump since the two looked chummy late last year when Mamdani visited the White House after his election win, and the media portrayed their relationship as a budding bromance. According to multiple reports, neither Trump nor the White House did not immediately respond to the lawsuit on Monday. 

The lawsuit filed by Letitia James, who oversaw the prosecution of Trump while he was running for re-election, is separate from the city's lawsuit, but she was on hand and spoke alongside Mamdani. "Hardworking families should not be forced to go without the support they need because they fear asking for assistance will get them deported,” James said, according to The New York Post, making no distinction between legal and illegal immigrants.

Prior to the lawsuit, Mamdani has refused to allow city law enforcement to work with federal immigration officials in tracking down criminal illegal immigrants amid the Trump administration's deportation efforts.