Bill de Blasio vows to organize 'human shield' if Trump seeks to arrest Zohran Mamdani over promised anti-ICE actions should he become mayor

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio shared his intention to organize a "human shield" around Zohran Mamdani, a controversial Democrat mayoral candidate, following President Trump's threat on Tuesday to have him arrested after Mamdani vowed to interfere with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations if elected.

"Donald Trump will have to go through a lot of us first if he wants to arrest Zohran Mamdani. We New Yorkers will put a human shield around him if we need to," wrote de Blasio in an X post on Wednesday. "No one gets to intimidate us."

De Blasio was responding to a statement Mamdani had posted on social media the day prior, which took aim at the president's threats, referring to Trump's comments as a threat to democracy and intimidation tactics.

"The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp, and deported. Not because I have broken any law but because I will refuse to let ICE terrorize our city," he said in a statement. "His statements don't just represent an attack on our democracy, but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refused to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you."

Mamdani, 33, a self-described Democratic Socialist, was born in Uganda to Indian parents and became a naturalized American citizen in 2018. He is a Muslim who presently serves in the New York State Assembly, representing sections of Queens, and recently won the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City. Conservatives have primarily criticized him for the socialist policies he intends to enact if elected, such as city-owned grocery stores and rent control.

Additionally, some critics have suggested that Mamdani could be in the country illegally. President Trump said during a Tuesday press briefing at Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" that his administration would be heavily looking into all allegations against Mamdani.

"Look, we don't need a communist in this country," said Trump, adding, "but if we have them, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation." The president said authorities would "have to arrest him" if Mamdani followed through on interfering with mass deportation operations, according to Newsweek.

Mamdani made it clear in his statement, saying that "We will not accept this intimidation." New York Governor Kathy Hochul also vowed to step in if the Trump administration moved to denaturalize him, Newsweek reported.