Sanctuary Fight Splits Mamdani’s Allies Over NYPD

Darializa Avila Chevalier called for NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to step down after ICE agents shot an illegal migrant in the Bronx, putting Mayor Zohran Mamdani at odds with socialist allies demanding Tisch’s removal. The dispute centers on sanctuary-city rules, local police involvement in immigration enforcement and Mamdani’s authority over the commissioner he appointed.

A dispute over police and ICE

Chevalier, a socialist House candidate whom Mamdani endorsed during the primaries, criticized Tisch and the NYPD in a social media post last Friday. She wrote that immigration officials had shot a suspected gang member as he fled arrest in a car, and accused the commissioner and police of violating New York City’s sanctuary-city policies.

“Last night, the NYPD and Commissioner Tisch violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our sanctuary city policies and fueled the Trump Administration's attempt to demonize our communities,” Chevalier wrote in a nearly 400-word post. She called for the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group to be disbanded “as quickly as possible” and said Tisch “must step down.”

The report said the NYPD didn't assist ICE in the immigration arrest. The Strategic Response Group also didn't respond to the protest. Those details became part of the dispute over Chevalier’s accusation and her demand to dissolve the specialized police unit.

City Hall was also annoyed that Chevalier encouraged anti-ICE protests, sources said. Officials worried signs of disorder could give the Trump administration a reason to flood the streets. On Thursday night, Chevalier wrote about being pushed during an aggressive protest in Marble Hill. Video showed her confronting a police supervisor and accusing him of escalating the situation.

Mamdani faces pressure from allies

Mamdani stood by Tisch, whom he appointed, as some left-wing politicians and the national Democratic Socialists of America called for her ouster. During his campaign, he pledged to disband the Strategic Response Group. After avoiding the city’s press corps for days, he faced demands from socialist allies and the national DSA chapter to remove Tisch and fulfill that pledge.

DSA member and state Senate candidate Illapa Sairitupac, whom Mamdani also endorsed, joined Chevalier’s call, writing: “Abolish ICE, disband the SRG, fire Tisch.” The NYC DSA chapter, whose leaders are close friends of the mayor, said Tisch should be fired if she couldn't confront ICE. “Jessica Tisch must get ICE out of New York and end NYPD complicity with these terrorists,” the group wrote. “If the Commissioner can't put a stop to these injustices, she must be fired.”

The two other House candidates Mamdani endorsed, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez, didn't make similar calls. One source described Chevalier’s public remarks as “a direct undermining of Mamdani.” Another said people in the administration were angry about her social-media posts and rhetoric concerning the NYPD.

Campaign tensions continue

Chevalier didn't plan to stop pressing for Tisch’s removal, insiders said. She and her team were preparing a speech calling for Tisch to be fired, potentially for Election Night or earlier. Sources said Mamdani’s adviser, Morris Katz, persuaded him to endorse Chevalier, but Mamdani wasn't a fan of hers.

Chevalier was distancing herself from Mamdani, although sources credited his backing and campaigning with helping her win New York’s 13th Congressional primary in June, defeating incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat. The district is overwhelmingly blue, and the report said winning the Democratic line all but guarantees her victory in the general election next month.

Campaign canvassers had strict instructions not to discuss Mamdani, sources said. Volunteers were told to say, “I can't speak about the mayor, but I can tell you what Darializa is prioritizing.” One insider called Chevalier a “loose cannon” and said City Hall had already viewed her as a potential liability. Her calls to remove Tisch have turned disagreements over sanctuary policy and police authority into a public conflict inside Mamdani’s political coalition.