A former top Trump administration immigration official suspects New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is trying to manufacture violence against immigration authorities with his defense of illegal aliens and calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished.
Jonathan Fahey, who briefly directed ICE during President Donald Trump’s first term, said Tuesday on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” that he thinks Mamdani purposefully and maliciously “wants violence” against ICE to pop off in the streets.
“That’s what he’s doing — he wants confrontations, he wants violence, because the Democrats have really used this to elevate their cause,” Fahey said. “And then they could blame it on ICE, and most of the media will take their side on it.”
Mayor Mamdani wants to instigate conflicts with ICE for his own political benefit at the expense of public safety. @lizpeek @cherylcasone @MarkTepperSWP @MariaBartiromo pic.twitter.com/AknnNFuIIA
— Jonathan Fahey (@JonforFairfax) July 28, 2026
So far, every time that the unhinged, violent actions of anti-ICE hooligans have caused ICE to have to defend itself with violence — such as in the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — Democrats and their media allies have rushed to side with the agitators.
“If [Mamdani] was responsible, he would say, ‘Hey, I may not agree with the law, but it’s the law, and it should be followed, and I’m not going to stand in the way,'” Fahey continued. “But instead, he … wants to stir things up, wants confrontation.”
After an illegal alien who drove his car into an ICE vehicle was killed earlier this month, Mamdani posted a tweet grieving for the illegal and calling for the abolishment of ICE:
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo called Houston home for 35 years. On Tuesday, an ICE agent shot and killed him. His family learned of his death from a video before anyone bothered to knock on their door.
New York City stands with the Salgado family in demanding a full, independent…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 9, 2026
Fahey was offended by the mayor’s anti-ICE rhetoric and agenda.
“These ICE agents are not only following the law, they’re required to follow the law,” he said. “And so is President Trump. So who’s wrong in this situation? You know, legally, I mean it’s really shameful, cynical, but [Mamdani] gets a political benefit, at least within his party, with this.”
Indeed, every time Mamdani pops off about ICE and immigration enforcement, his support within the party probably only rises further.
A recently published YouGov poll found that 77 percent of Democrats have no confidence in ICE. The same poll found that 91 percent of Democrats believe ICE has used too much force in its enforcement activities.
Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have been busy signaling their intent to investigate ICE and force reforms if they regain power during the upcoming midterm elections.
“This is an agency that needs to be torn down to the studs and rebuilt into an agency that enforces immigration law, while recognizing the dignity of the people that it encounters,” Rep. Christian Menefee said during an anti-ICE forum last Friday in Houston, according to Houston Public Media.
“But we all know that that will not happen under this administration, and it won’t happen under this Congress that’s currently controlled by Republicans,” he added.
He further vowed that one of the first things Democrats will do once they regain power is investigate the recent death of an illegal alien who’d rammed his car into an ICE vehicle.
🚨BREAKING: Packed Houston City Council meeting erupts into chants demanding justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo!
On July 7th, Lorenzo was murdered by ICE on his way to work. 3 weeks later and the family still doesn’t know the names of ICE agents involved in their father and… pic.twitter.com/QPg5L9u5dF
— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) July 28, 2026
“In January, new leadership will happen in the halls of Congress, and I know that every single person sitting up on this dais right now will be in full-throated support of an investigation,” Menefee said.
The deceased illegal alien’s sons agreed that an investigation is necessary.
“There must be a thorough, truly independent investigation, not one where the agency under investigation also controls the evidence and is able to unilaterally clear its own personnel of any wrongdoing,” they said. “Congress should insist that federal, state, and local investigations all move forward with full federal cooperation and should demand answers on a public timeline.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.