Will Mamdani Protect Immigrants Against Federal Enforcement and Employer Exploitation?
Protection vs. Collaboration: Municipal Immigration Policy
Sanctuary City Status
NYC has nominal sanctuary city status but has cooperated with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) through various mechanisms. Mamdani should strengthen protections: limit police-ICE cooperation; prohibit municipal participation in deportation enforcement; provide legal resources to undocumented immigrants; and protect workplace organizing rights for all workers regardless of status. Feminist analysis emphasizes that undocumented women face heightened vulnerability to sexual exploitation and workplace abuse; municipal protection is essential.
Labor Rights and Wage Theft
Undocumented workers are disproportionately exploited through wage theft, unsafe conditions, and retaliation. Mamdani should direct Department of Labor to aggressively investigate wage theft regardless of immigration status and pursue penalties against exploitative employers. This requires decoupling labor protections from immigration statustreating all workers as deserving protection. (Sources: immigrant rights organizations, Department of Labor, research on undocumented worker exploitation)
