Washington Post: New York Mayor reminds people of their legal rights against state

US Secretary of Homeland Security criticizes Zohran Mamdani for explaining the legal rights of individuals and accuses him of violating the Constitution.

But what he did was true, according to Kate Andrews as she wrote in the Washington Post:

The Secretary of Homeland Security has accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani of violating the Constitution and that they will investigate him in cooperation with the Justice Department for his actions.

Mamadani posted an 86-second video titled “Know Your Rights When Dealing with ICE”.

In fact, there is rarely wisdom in an outspoken socialist, but he must be praised.

The video he posted on Sunday is a simple introduction to the importance of due process — an obstacle for the Trump administration, which is scrambling to speed up mass deportations.

However, although the levels of protection vary, it remains a constitutional right for both citizens and irregular migrants.

The video explains the do’s and don’ts when confronted by ICE agents, including examples of legitimate search warrants and a reminder of the right to remain silent and protest.

Although Kristi Noem accuses Mamdani of giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and impunity,” the mayor-elect is doing just the opposite.

Following last week’s confrontation between Immigration and Customs enforcement agents and protesters on the city’s Canal Street, Mamdani emphasizes the importance of staying calm and tells viewers bluntly: “Don’t obstruct their investigations, don’t resist arrest, don’t run away”.

If we remove the specific references to New York City, any politician, of any party, who fears state excesses while celebrating the rights guaranteed to individuals on American soil by the US Constitution, could read the transcript of this video.

Not so long ago, one would have imagined a Republican, the kind who boasts of supporting personal freedoms and the Constitution, narrating this video.

Trump’s original campaign promises to deport illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes — a position that makes perfect sense to most Americans — have proven difficult to keep.

The Department of Homeland Security compensates for this by arresting women who work illegally in beauty salons and teenagers attending immigration court hearings.

In the midst of this campaign, ProPublica documented more than 170 cases of detention of US citizens by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The number may be much higher, as the government doesn’t record such cases.

The 170 cases mentioned are only for those who dared to speak out after their rights were violated.

The stories seem to be adapted from a war-torn country, not from a republic that respects constitutional rights.

Police raided the home of a mother and her daughters in the middle of the night, forcing the mother to change her clothes in front of the officers, while the girls were evicted from their homes wearing only underwear.

The mother told an NBC affiliate in Oklahoma, “We’re citizens… That’s what I was repeating… We’re citizens”.

“They were very dismissive and completely indifferent,” she added.

Isaias Peña Salcedo, an aspiring student to join the US Marines, now says he prefers to move to another country after being thrown into an unidentified truck and held for almost three days, despite providing proof of citizenship.

“If that’s how they treat me, I don’t even want to know what they’re doing to other people,” he told the Los Angeles Public Newspaper.

Some indications of what is happening to others are that the government is using tear gas against them, squeezing their necks, and forcibly hiding them for days on end.

Many Americans feel strongly that this shouldn’t happen in the land of freedom.

Although polls last month show that a majority of Americans still support the administration’s broader immigration efforts, they also believe that the tactics used by ICE have gone too far.

Why is it left to Mamdani with the task of reminding people of their legal rights in the face of authoritarian state interventions?

Republicans will regret abandoning the defense of liberty to the socialist left.

Mamadani is the same politician who celebrated his victory, declaring that there is no bigger problem for the government to solve.

He advocates for rent caps and the government’s management of shops.

His ideas are mostly derived from a socialist wish list, which greatly reduces the power of the individual and expands the scope of the state.

Mamdani may praise individual rights when they conflict with the law, but don’t expect him to be an honest advocate for the individual on taxes, the right to bear arms, or freedom of speech in America’s largest cities.

A socialist, even if he is a Democrat, may not be counted on to protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms.

However, Mamadani was right this time… Let those who claim to love freedom preach.