New York Democrats letter to parking lots calls on private garage and lot owners to stop federal immigration officers from using their properties as staging sites, days after a shooting by immigration agents in the city.
In a letter sent Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and dozens of state and local officials appealed to owners, saying the city needs their help at a critical moment.
“In solidarity with immigrant New Yorkers and in our shared commitment to the City we love, we ask that you do not rent, lend, or otherwise make your property available to ICE as a staging area for its enforcement operations,” the letter states. “Make it known to ICE that it is not authorized to use your garages and lots.”
The request followed the shooting of 28-year-old Dominican national Oscar Belgal by immigration officers during an arrest last week while he was in a car with his young son. The incident spurred protests and renewed scrutiny of the federal government’s immigration crackdown. According to the letter, officers had been using a nearby private parking lot as a staging area prior to the shooting.
New York Democrats letter to parking lots draws DHS response
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized the move, saying in a statement that the mayor should be thankful to law enforcement for cleaning up city streets and asserting that ending access to private parking would not prevent ICE from deporting criminal noncitizens.
Federal officials say the officers opened fire only after believing their lives were at risk. According to their account, Belgal struck two government vehicles with his car and then accelerated toward agents.
The letter notes that New York City policy already restricts outside law enforcement, including DHS, from setting up staging areas on city property without a judicial warrant or specific legal exceptions. Those rules do not apply to private lots and garages, which is why the officials appealed directly to businesses.
Private companies have previously been pulled into political battles over immigration enforcement. In one instance, a Minnesota hotel that declined to host immigration officers in January later apologized after DHS criticism, citing a violation of internal policies. In another case, protesters occupied the lobby of a Manhattan hotel they said was housing some immigration officers.
Hawaii readers may recall similar national flashpoints shaping local debates about federal-state cooperation and the use of private property for enforcement activities. The New York developments could inform how businesses in other states weigh requests from federal agencies against community concerns.
Similar tensions have surfaced in other high-profile immigration and enforcement disputes, such as the Ilhan Omar HSI raid and related investigations. In many of these cases, local communities and officials have wrestled with how much support to extend to federal agencies amid political and legal controversy.
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