Tom Homan Just Told Mamdani and His DSA Candidate What Abolishing ICE Actually Means for New York

Zohran Mamdani stood in front of the cameras and told the world ICE should be abolished.

He did it at a World Cup press conference – and then endorsed a congressional candidate who went even further.

Tom Homan just reviewed the operational plan – and told Mamdani exactly how many agents are coming.

Mamdani's ICE Abolition Push Collides With a Federal Surge

At a World Cup press conference on June 9, Mamdani declared that ICE raids are "cruel" and "inhumane" and serve no public safety interest.

He didn't stop there.

"I also do believe that ICE, as an entity, is one that should be abolished," Mamdani said, "and that we should return to an immigration system that has more humanity at the heart of it."

He said the same thing on MSNBC's The Weekend, urging fellow Democrats to drop the hesitation and fully embrace the abolish ICE message.

"I think we've listened to them before, and look where we are," Mamdani told host Eugene Daniels when asked about the political risks of that language.

Homan's response landed the same morning on Fox. "You're going to see more ICE than you've ever seen in New York City, and it's coming," he said on Fox & Friends. "I just reviewed an operational plan. I'm not going to tell you exactly when it's going to happen, but it's coming."

That wasn't a threat. That was a promise.

The DSA Candidate Who Said the Quiet Part Out Loud

While Mamdani was busy pushing his open defiance of federal law, he was also putting his political weight behind a congressional candidate who makes him look moderate by comparison.

Darializa Avila Chevalier is the Democratic Socialist of America-backed challenger targeting New York's 13th Congressional District – and today, June 23, voters in that district went to the polls to decide her fate.

Mamdani endorsed her personally after previously signaling he would back the incumbent, Adriano Espaillat.

Avila Chevalier wants to abolish ICE.

She wants zero deportations.

She wants to defund police and prisons, open the borders entirely, and nationalize key industries.

Then came the moment that went viral across the political spectrum.

Podcast host Astead Herndon pressed Avila Chevalier directly: does she still believe all deportations are wrong – including for people convicted of crimes under U.S. law?

Her answer was yes.

No hedging. No walk-back. Just yes – convicted criminals shouldn't be deported either.

Reaction exploded from both sides. Even left-leaning commentators panned the position as unserious. One observer noted the polling shows roughly 85% of Americans across every demographic group disagree with her.

Avila Chevalier's response was that her old tweets – which included calls to "seize the means of production," open borders, and abolishing police – didn't reflect who she is today.

Days later, Mamdani reiterated his endorsement anyway, calling her "the champion we need."

Homan Knows Exactly What This Playbook Costs

Homan has watched this movie before, and he knows how it ends.

When sanctuary cities refuse to honor ICE detainer requests, federal agents don't disappear – they adapt.

"If they don't let us arrest a bad guy in the county jail, they're going to arrest them in the community," Homan said. "We're going to increase community operations, we're going to increase work enforcement operations."

That means more street arrests. More neighborhood operations. More disruption to communities that Mamdani claims to be protecting.

New York City shelters hundreds of thousands of people in the country illegally, and the city's own sanctuary policies are actively blocking ICE from removing the criminal element before they hurt someone.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin went straight to the point during a Hannity appearance, saying Mamdani is "absolutely destroying a great city like New York."

Mamdani told Trump directly – in a face-to-face meeting – that he believes ICE should be abolished.

Trump didn't change course.

What Mamdani and Avila Chevalier have built in New York is a political identity out of protecting people in the country illegally, including those with criminal histories. That posture will generate voter energy in their base.

It will also generate operational energy from Tom Homan.

The "Defund the Police" movement told Democrats what their radical base wanted to hear – and then cost them dozens of seats across the country.

"Abolish ICE" is that same bet, placed again, on the same table.

Homan just made the stakes clear.

Sources:

• Washington Examiner Staff, "New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani renews call to abolish ICE," Washington Examiner, June 22, 2026.
• Lindsay Kornick, "Mamdani urges Democrats to fully embrace the 'Abolish ICE' message," Fox News, June 9, 2026.
• Louis Casiano, "NYC Mayor Mamdani doubles down on abolishing ICE after agitators protest agents," Fox News, May 4, 2026.
• Mediaite Staff, "'These People Are Lunatics': Competitive DSA Candidate Sparks Fury With Answer on Deportations," Mediaite, June 19, 2026.
• Mediaite Staff, "Tom Homan Says He Has a Plan For 'More ICE Agents Than You Have Ever Seen in New York City,'" Mediaite, June 9, 2026.
• NY Post Staff, "Border Czar Tom Homan Warns Mamdani to 'Get Out of the Way,' Vows ICE Will 'Flood the Zone' in NYC," New York Post, November 2025.