A New York elected state official appeared to be trying to sneak past the police on Wednesday while yelling at border czar Tom Homan, who was in the state capital calling out Democrats for their illegal immigration policy.
Zohran Mamdani, an Assembly Member and New York City Mayoral candidate, was seen shouting in Albany at Homan about the Trump Administration’s crackdown against illegal immigration as well as the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khil, a Columbia University Student and anti-Israeli activist.
Mamdani is seen in a video posted on the internet shouting and yelling at Homan as he tries to pass New York State troopers.
How many more New Yorkers will you arrest? “How many New Yorkers will you detain without charging?” He shouted. Tom Homan, do you support the First Amendment?
Mamdani wrote on X that he had confronted Homan, who was in Albany “to do Trump’s bidding – push for mass immigration, assault working-class New Yorkers and justify unjustified detention of Mahmoud Khali, a legal permanent resident, father-to be, and legal permanent residence.”
Mamdani stated, “Under Trump’s Watch, we see the erosion of fundamental rights that make us Americans, including the freedom to protest injustice or speak out freely about our beliefs peacefully. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, is sitting idly, knowing that if he kisses Trump’s ring, he will be able to avoid any legal responsibility. New Yorkers need a leader that will defend our Constitutional Rights against authoritarian advances.”
Khalil is a Palestinian born in Syria and a U.S. permanent resident. He was arrested on Saturday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. They informed him that they would revoke his student visa and green card, according to Amy Greer, Khalil’s lawyer.
Khalil was a key player in Columbia University’s protests against Israel. He met with officials of the university on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of student groups that urged the university to divest its investments from Israel.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced Khalil’s arrest. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that any Hamas supporters living in the U.S. would be deported.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: “Following the executive orders I had previously signed, ICE apprehended Mahmoud Khali, a radical pro-Hamas foreign student on campus at Columbia University,” ICE posted. This is just the beginning of many arrests to come.
Homan was to join state Republican legislators in the fight to repeal Green Light, a state law being challenged. This law, also called the Driver’s License Act, allows illegal immigrants to get a license.
Mamdani claimed that Homan smiled when confronted.
He said that taking away a pregnant woman who will be giving birth to their baby in one month is not the answer. Khalil had told Columbia University officials he was afraid for his own life.
“The cowardice that is on display across our city and our state is unacceptable,” he added. “New Yorkers are looking to us. They are looking to their leaders for courage and for conviction, and what they are finding instead is collaboration.”
