Close ally and former City Council staffer named to oversee immigrant rights as federal enforcement threats intensify
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced two key appointments to his administration on Tuesday, naming Faiza Ali as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Ana Maria Archila as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. The appointments signal the new administration’s commitment to defending immigrant communities in New York City and elevating immigrant rights as a central priority within City Hall leadership.
Faiza Ali: From Advocacy to City Government
Ali’s appointment as immigrant affairs commissioner reflects both her deep roots in immigrant communities and her high-level experience navigating city budget and policy processes. Before joining City Hall, Ali worked with immigrant rights organizations, serving as advocacy director at the Arab American Association of New York, an organizer with Brooklyn Congregations United, and in community affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York (CAIR-NY). Her extensive background in grassroots advocacy gives her direct knowledge of the challenges facing immigrant New Yorkers, from documentation status to access to city services. As former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ first deputy chief of staff, Ali was involved in key city budget negotiations, the “City of Yes” program that sought to expand housing and service access, and efforts to preserve New York City’s sanctuary city laws. These responsibilities positioned her at the intersection of policy development and fiscal reality, giving her practical experience in advancing progressive goals within a complex bureaucratic environment. Ali is widely known as a close confidante and ally within Muslim American political circles, and as a member of Mamdani’s transition committee, she was among the earliest voices shaping the new mayor’s vision for city governance. Her appointment draws on this longstanding relationship while elevating immigrant and Muslim American representation within the highest levels of city leadership.
The Sanctuary City Challenge
Ali’s appointment comes at a moment when the city’s sanctuary status faces unprecedented challenge. The Trump administration has publicly threatened to cut federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities that do not cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Mayor Mamdani has vocally defended the city’s sanctuary status, committing his administration to not-cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement absent a judicial warrant. This position places NYC at odds with the current federal government and creates significant fiscal and legal risk for the city. The city’s sanctuary policies protect undocumented immigrants from deportation by limiting police cooperation with ICE and ensuring that city resources are not used for federal immigration enforcement. Defenders of sanctuary policies argue that these protections strengthen public safety by allowing immigrant communities to report crimes without fear of deportation. Critics, primarily within the Trump administration and among Republicans in Congress, argue that sanctuary policies represent illegal obstruction of federal authority.
Legal Framework and Historical Context
New York City’s sanctuary protections derive from Executive Order 41, originally issued in 1989 and consistently reaffirmed by subsequent administrations. The protections limit the circumstances under which NYPD and other city agencies can cooperate with ICE, absent judicial warrants or specific federal requests that survive legal scrutiny. These protections have survived multiple legal challenges and represent a deliberate policy choice to prioritize city police relationships with immigrant communities over federal immigration enforcement cooperation. For more on sanctuary policies and their legal status, see the National Immigration Law Center, which provides detailed analysis of sanctuary city legal frameworks and federal-local cooperation issues. Ali will oversee implementation and defense of these sanctuary protections while also developing new policies to support immigrant communities. This will require navigating significant political pressure from the federal government while maintaining the trust of immigrant communities who depend on the city’s commitment to sanctuary principles.
Ana Maria Archila and International Affairs
Ana Maria Archila’s appointment as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs reflects the Mamdani administration’s emphasis on New York City’s role as a global city. Archila, born in Colombia, brings 20 years of experience leading immigrant rights and economic justice organizations. She co-founded several progressive organizations, including Make the Road New York and the Center for Popular Democracy, positioning her at the forefront of movements for immigrant rights and racial justice. In her new role, Archila will serve as the city’s chief liaison to the United Nations and U.S. Department of State, advising city agencies on diplomatic matters and welcoming foreign diplomats to New York. She will also run leadership development programs including the NYC Junior Ambassadors initiative, which develops young people’s understanding of international affairs and civic engagement. “I’m deeply honored to join Mayor Mamdani’s transformative administration and to imbue into the Office of International Affairs his commitment to make New York a place where everyone can live with dignity,” Archila said in her statement. Her appointment signals that immigration and international affairs are being elevated to cabinet-level significance within the new administration.
The Timing: Meeting with Minneapolis Mayor
Ali’s appointment comes just days after Mayor Mamdani met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to discuss that city’s experience managing ICE interactions and federal immigration enforcement pressure. The meeting reflected Mamdani’s proactive approach to preparing the city for potential conflicts with federal authorities. Minneapolis, under Mayor Frey, has attempted to balance sanctuary city principles with cooperative relationships with federal law enforcement, an approach that has generated both support and criticism from immigrant rights advocates. The conversation between the two mayors underscores the national scope of sanctuary city challenges, as multiple cities simultaneously grapple with Trump administration pressure to abandon sanctuary protections. For policy analysis on immigrant integration and municipal government response, see Migration Policy Institute, which provides detailed research on immigrant integration outcomes and municipal policy approaches. By reaching out to Minneapolis, Mamdani signaled his intention to learn from other cities’ experiences while developing NYC’s own strategic approach to protecting immigrant communities.
Ali’s Vision for the Office of Immigrant Affairs
In her own statement, Ali described herself as “the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Pakistan who came to New York City with courage, an unshakable belief in possibility, and the determination to build a future here.” She emphasized the city’s historic role as a destination for immigrants seeking opportunity and freedom. “This city gave us opportunity, stability, and the chance to put down roots, just as it has for generations of immigrants before us. As Commissioner, I am committed to building a city that ensures every New Yorker, regardless of when they arrived or where they were born, can live, work, and raise families with dignity.” This vision emphasizes immigrant inclusion and equal access to city services and opportunity regardless of documentation status. The office under Ali’s leadership will likely expand legal services for immigrants, develop policies to improve access to city benefits and services, and strengthen relationships between immigrant communities and city agencies.
Building on Previous Work
The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has historically served as a liaison between immigrant communities and city government. Under Ali’s leadership, the office is expected to take on a more proactive advocacy role, addressing federal immigration enforcement threats while expanding support for immigrant integration. This represents an expansion of the office’s traditional role as an administrative liaison toward active policy advocacy and community defense. The appointments of Ali and Archila represent significant personnel decisions that signal the Mamdani administration’s priorities. Both bring deep experience in advocacy and organizing, suggesting that the new City Hall will maintain closer relationships with immigrant rights communities than previous administrations. This proximity to grassroots movements could strengthen immigrant community trust in city government while also raising expectations for the administration to deliver concrete policy victories in defense of immigrant rights. The next months will test whether the Mamdani administration’s stated commitment to sanctuary principles and immigrant dignity can withstand federal pressure and translate into meaningful policy victories for immigrant New Yorkers.
