Where NYC’s top mayoral candidates stand on sanctuary laws shielding immigrants

NEW YORK—As New York City heads into a pivotal 2025 mayoral election, the future of protections for the city’s 3 million immigrants, who make up 38% of the city’s population, has taken center stage. With incumbent Mayor Eric Adams vowing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s deportation effort, immigrant communities are reeling from ICE raids in facilities once deemed safe. Among the estimated 90,000 Haitian-born, anxiety is particularly high for loved ones granted TPS or humanitarian parole, both of which the government now considers illegal. 

Candidates are offering different approaches on how to keep New York a safe haven as local support becomes more inconsistent and the federal government moves to target Democratic-led states. The Haitian Times spoke with five candidates—Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, Zellnor Myrie and Scott Stringer—to learn where they stand on immigration, ICE cooperation and sanctuary city policies sure to affect Haitian families. 

Adrienne Adams: “I will continue to fight Donald Trump in court”

Current City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has staked out one of the most combative stances against federal overreach. Speaking with The Haitian Times, Adams emphasized her refusal to weaken NYC’s sanctuary city laws, even under pressure from Mayor Eric Adams.

“He wants to work with Donald Trump to bring ICE back to Rikers Island, which is appalling to me,” Adams said. “I authorized a lawsuit to block that executive order. As mayor, I will continue to fight Donald Trump at every turn when it comes to our immigrant communities.”

She noted that immigrant anxiety isn’t hypothetical. Businesses in Flatbush have seen foot traffic drop as fears rise. Her campaign presents immigrant protection as a matter of both human rights and economic stability. 

Brad Lander: “We can’t have ICE in our schools, hospitals or shelters”

City Comptroller Brad Lander invoked historical and moral arguments in defense of NYC’s sanctuary policies, citing statistics that nearly half of all New Yorkers live in mixed-status households.

“We can’t have ICE in our schools, in our hospitals, in our shelters,” Lander said. “We need a mayor who will stand up to bullies. Eric Adams is running an experiment in the most humiliating capitulation to Donald Trump.”

Lander co-sponsored the city’s sanctuary laws and says his record, from financial oversight to transparency in procurement, proves he’s ready to defend immigrant New Yorkers from federal retaliation.

Zohran Mamdani: “[Enforce] the laws we have to deny entry to ICE

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani supports New York City’s sanctuary status, calling it a long-standing, bipartisan policy that “has actually reduced crime over the years.” 

He criticized Mayor Eric Adams for stoking fear, saying, “What our mayor’s cowardice and collaboration has done is lead to so many Haitian New Yorkers having to live in fear.”

Mamdani pointed to existing law that limits ICE cooperation to cases involving 170 serious crimes, and emphasized that city leaders must defend—not undermine—those protections, especially for immigrant communities like Brooklyn’s Little Haiti. Mamdani pledged to establish a commission to ensure full compliance with sanctuary city laws across all city agencies and contractors.

Zellnor Myrie: “No unnecessary cooperation with ICE”

State Senator Zellnor Myrie supports streamlining city support services for asylum seekers, including protections against federal detainers. Saying that the Trump administration is on a broader mission to roll back civil rights, he sees the deportation efforts as a test that calls for leaders to stand up and fight back. His ‘New York for All’ bill in the state legislature “would protect government institutions and not require unnecessary cooperation with ICE” attempting to enter buildings.

“What makes our city great, our secret sauce is our diversity… We should be protecting in this moment, not cowering, not being silent, but stepping up and being very loud in our advocacy to ensure that you can continue to be who you are,” Myrie told The Haitian Times. 

Scott Stringer: “Give the federal government no points of entry”

Former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer said the city must stand firm in protecting immigrant families from federal overreach, especially under a potential second Trump presidency. 

“When you’re a New Yorker and you hit our soil, the mayor has to have your back,” Stringer told The Haitian Times. 

He proposed a $1 billion emergency fund to shield critical services from federal cuts and condemned leaders who “use immigrants as a bullying tactic.” Stringer vowed to defend immigrant communities through legal action, strategic planning, and moral leadership. 

Andrew Cuomo: “Trump cannot win a fight with me as mayor of New York”

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, the leading candidate, did not respond to repeated interview requests. In recent public forums, Cuomo has vowed to shield immigrants.

“We are going to defend the laws of this sanctuary city,” Cuomo said in a candidate debate. “Donald Trump only picks fights that he can win. He cannot win a fight with me as mayor of New York.”

On his Instagram, Cuomo also posted, “When I am mayor, ICE agents will not spread fear in our city, tearing families apart and separating children from their parents. I will stand up for each and every New Yorker. I always have and I always will.” 

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