Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears on MS NOW’s “The Briefing With Jen Psaki”
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
It has to look like accountability, and I think for far too long, we've seen ICE operate as an agency with a complete sense of reckless impunity, and what we need to see across this country is an understanding that no one is above the law, and we all saw that video. We all can draw the same conclusions from it, and yet what is so often lost in a video like that or in the stories that we read is the havoc that this wreaks on the family of that woman that was killed, on the community that that woman was a part of. And we know that this is only one glimpse into what has been a year full of cruelty, and I know that for many New Yorkers, when they woke up this morning and they saw that video, they felt a deep sense of anxiety about whether they were safe in their own city. And as the mayor of New York City, I wanna make it clear that I will stand up for each and every person who calls the city their home, no matter where they come from or where they were born.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think that accountability has to be true for everyone. I think that has to be true for the ICE officer that we're speaking about and every single person in this country, and I think you can see from the many attempts at mischaracterizing what actually took place as an attempt to evade that accountability, and I wanna be clear that we should not have exceptions for the laws that we put forward for each and every person. They should be applicable to all of us.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think it tells you that they'd like to have any and all conversations other than the fact that an ICE agent killed a woman yesterday. That's the discussion that they would prefer not to have in this city, in this country, because it's one for which they don't have any answers. And we know that she leaves behind children, she leaves behind a family, she leaves behind friends, she leaves behind an entire city. And this is something that the administration cannot answer for because, frankly, there is no answer justifying that kind of an action.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceIt's hard to truly make sense of that statement. All I can tell you is that here in New York City, we know that it's possible to be a New Yorker, to be an American, and also to be an immigrant. I'm one of the examples of all three of those things in one. And yet what we have seen time and again is an attempt to have cities and states give up immigrants to a federal administration's attempt to fulfill its pledge to create the single largest deportation force in American history. And as the mayor of New York City, I'm gonna stand up for everyone who calls the city their home. And I'm going to do so while following the laws we have in this city, laws which include sanctuary city policies that prohibit ICE agents from entering into New York City schools or properties unless they can actually provide a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think this comes from many, many conversations that I've had with the governor and that our teams have had, all about fulfilling the commitment we have made of transforming the most expensive city in the United States into one that's affordable. But frankly, this day is a result not just of Governor Hochul and myself, but frankly, a result of New Yorkers who knocked on more than a million doors, who made more than a million phone calls, all in the hopes of winning the city that they deserved. And today's announcement, where the governor committed $1.21 billion to taking the first steps to establishing universal childcare here in New York City, it's a commitment that will provide universal childcare for every three-year-old and start to provide universal childcare for every two-year-old in New York City. And that means we will be taking off what has come to be a $22,500 a year expense off the backs of working families. And that's because working people believed in the city they could have as opposed to the one that they lived in.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think it makes it all the more important to start initiatives with city and state funding coming together in a partnership to deliver for New Yorkers because we're seeing an attempt at the federal level to play politics with our kids' futures. And I am heartened by the confidence that Governor Hochul has shared in our chances of winning the battle in litigation, in court, against this attempt. But we need to make clear that not only will we fight to retain the support that working class New Yorkers receive today, we will also fight to advance an agenda to make it more possible for them to live in the city that they call home.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, the governor hasn't yet asked me for my endorsement, but what I have appreciated is the relationship and the partnership that we have built. And it's been one that's been focused on affordability. It's been focused on delivering for New Yorkers. And I have to tell you, Jen, that sadly, in recent history, that hasn't always been the case in the relationship between mayors and governors. It's almost felt as if there are two different constituencies that they represent, when in fact, we're all representing New Yorkers. And I've appreciated this governor, Governor Hochul, in showcasing the leadership necessary to deliver for those same New Yorkers.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I called the president and I said directly to him the thoughts that I had, and that I was also about to share with others across our city, which is that this was an act in pursuit of regime change. It was something that was violating both international law, but also federal law. And it was something that I was in opposition to, and I wanted to both say that plainly and directly. And I've appreciated the fact that when I have conversations with President Trump, they are honest, they are straightforward, and they have New Yorkers at the heart of it.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThank you so much. It's a real pleasure to be back. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears on MS NOW’s “The Briefing With Jen Psaki”.