New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, alongside Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, and numerous state and local lawmakers, has urged private parking lot owners to refuse cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents seeking to use their properties as staging areas. The call was made in a letter sent Friday, following a recent incident in which federal immigration officers shot a man in the city.

The letter requests that owners refrain from renting, lending, or otherwise making their private lots and garages available for ICE enforcement activities. It emphasizes solidarity with immigrant communities and stresses the urgency of the appeal at what the signatories describe as a "critical juncture" for the city.

The appeal comes in the wake of the shooting of 28-year-old Dominican national Oscar Belgal during an arrest last week. Belgal was reportedly in a vehicle with his young son when he was shot by immigration officers. According to the letter, federal agents had been operating out of a nearby private parking lot used as a staging area prior to the incident.

In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the letter, stating that Mayor Mamdani should express gratitude to federal law enforcement officers for their efforts in maintaining public safety in New York City.

The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in the city over the presence and operations of ICE agents, with local leaders advocating for limits on federal enforcement activities within their communities, while federal officials emphasize the importance of their law enforcement mission.