New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday criticised US immigration policies, arguing that immigrants have been central to building New York City and the United States, in remarks widely seen as directed at President Donald Trump, though he did not mention him by name.
Speaking at an event, Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim, South Asian and African-born mayor, said generations of immigrants had helped shape America despite often being told they did not belong.
“For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best,” Mamdani said, before highlighting the contributions of communities including Puritans, Sikhs, Quakers, Muslims and Jews.
He also criticised what he described as attempts by “the powerful” to define America as a nation that belongs only to a select few, saying such views undermine the country’s founding ideals of equality and inclusion.
His remarks come as the Trump administration continues to pursue a hardline immigration policy, arguing that stricter enforcement is needed to address crime and illegal immigration.