New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recorded and published a Spanish-language video instructing illegal aliens how to evade ICE — and the establishment press treated it like a press release, not a confession.
The stakes are straightforward: a sitting American elected official used his platform to coach foreign nationals on circumventing federal immigration enforcement. If a private citizen did this, they'd face federal charges. Mamdani did it on camera, in an official capacity, and no prosecutor has moved.
The minute-and-a-half video, posted to X with English subtitles, opens with Mamdani speaking in Spanish: "If you encounter ICE, these are your rights." He then walks through a playbook: ICE "cannot legally enter private spaces without a judicial order," he says, telling viewers to look for the words "United States District Court" and a judge's signature on any warrant — and to ask agents to "pass the order under the door." He advises that anyone stopped on the street should ask, "Am I free to go?" and walk away calmly if the answer is yes. He tells them to remain silent and not sign anything without a lawyer. He closes by sharing the city's immigration legal support hotline and declaring that New Yorkers have "the right to protest," pledging to "protect that right."
Breitbart noted that Mamdani — a Ugandan-born Muslim who obtained citizenship after arriving at age seven in 1991 — built his coalition on what the outlet described as a "Red/Green" alliance of migrants, Muslims, and progressives. He has previously labeled criminal illegal aliens as "New Yorkers," and signed a letter with roughly 100 Democrat officials demanding that parking garage owners inform ICE agents they are not welcome — a move that came after a criminal illegal alien named Oscar Belgal attempted to run down ICE agents with his vehicle.
Republican lawmakers responded with outrage. Sen. Mike Lee wrote on X: "At no point in this video is anyone urged to abide by the laws of the United States. Because it was not made for the benefit of the people of the United States." Sen. Rick Scott called it proof that "radical Democrats are doing EVERYTHING in their power to recreate Biden's open border disaster." Rep. Nick LaLota fumed that Mamdani used "taxpayer resources to instruct illegals, in Spanish, how to evade accountability." Sen. Bernie Moreno had one word: "Treason."
The New York Post framed the story around the Republican backlash. Breitbart framed it as part of a broader ideological project: Mamdani, in their telling, is "forcing Americans in New York to share their civic spaces, culture-setting ability, limited economic resources, and political power with all foreigners who sneak into the city."
Both outlets covered the video's content. Neither asked the question that matters: why isn't this being prosecuted? Federal law — 8 U.S.C. § 1324 — criminalizes harboring or aiding illegal aliens. Coaching them on evading ICE, on camera, in an official capacity, using city resources, would seem to qualify. Yet no U.S. Attorney has announced an investigation. The bipartisan silence on enforcement is the real scandal.
A mayor of an American city produced a how-to video for illegal aliens to dodge federal agents. The question isn't whether Republicans are upset. The question is whether anyone with the authority to act will.
