More than 100 elected officials from New York, including Mayor Mamdani, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, have called on private parking lot and garage owners across the city to refuse service to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a letter sent Thursday, the coalition urged these businesses not to allow ICE to use their properties as staging areas for immigration enforcement operations.

The appeal comes amid heightened tension following an incident last week in Marble Hill, where ICE agents shot a 28-year-old man in the neck, injuring him while his young son was present in the vehicle. Several officials, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, have alleged that ICE had been operating out of a Target parking lot near the site of the shooting. However, Target and a co-owner of the lot denied any cooperation with ICE authorities.

While New York City’s sanctuary policies prohibit the use of city-owned properties for ICE activities, privately owned parking facilities remain accessible to federal agents. According to the letter, ICE has previously utilized parking spaces in bank lots on Northern Boulevard in Queens and a garage on Morton Street in Manhattan as operational bases.

The officials emphasized that property owners who refuse to collaborate with ICE help enhance public safety by protecting their staff, patrons, and the community at large. They also framed such refusals as a demonstration of solidarity with immigrant New Yorkers, reaffirming their status as valued members of the city.

“Owners who refuse to take part in these federal civil immigration enforcement operations advance public safety by protecting their own staff and customers, as well as fellow New Yorkers beyond their lots and garages,” the letter states. It concludes by urging the parking lot owners to take a stand against ICE’s presence on their properties and send a message of welcome and inclusion to immigrant communities throughout the city.