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IMMIGRATION NOVEMBER 14, 2025 | The Indian Eye 33
Immigrant Power Through Mamdani’s
Historic Win As NYC Mayor
BY CYRUS MEHTA President Trump has vil- administration or the visas of ments with the United States. work for its transformation.
ified immigrants. He rose to those who expressed critical Trump and his cabinet Mamdani ran a joyous cam-
When I despair, I remem-
ber that all through history power by demonizing them. views of Charlie Kirk after officials have repeatedly paign that celebrated the
the way of truth and love have Since his second inaugura- his death. All such speech stated on social media that wonderful diversity of New
York and mingled with immi-
immigrants even lawful per-
tion in January 2025, Trump that resulted in people being
always won. There have been
tyrants and murderers, and for has even taken great pride in penalized is protected under manent residents are guests grant communities by dining
being cruel to them. He has the First Amendment of the
in the country, and can be and dancing with them in a
a time, they can seem invinci-
ble, but in the end, they always allowed his minions like Ste- US Constitution. Even US removed or banned from most down to earth man-
entering for speech that is ner. He had late night din-
ven Miller and Kristi Noem citizens have been caught up
fall. Think of it – always. to unleash ICE agents who in these ICE roundups caus- disfavored by the administra- ners with taxi drivers while
- MK Gandhi
have mercilessly detained ing great fear in people, irre- tion, including posts on social Trump held an over the top
oran Mamdani has noncitizens even based on spective of whether they are media. The current admin- Great Gatsby themed party
made history. He will free speech that his adminis- citizens or noncitizens. This istration has viewed immi- in Mar-a-Lago as SNAP ben-
Zbe New York City’s tration has disfavored. For- sort of fear has never been grants as being unwelcomed, efits ran out due to the shut
youngest mayor since the eign students at prestigious experienced before in Amer- stealing the jobs of Ameri- down. Indeed, it was voter
19th century, and its first US universities have been ica, which has before Trump cans and even as dangerous dissatisfaction with Trump
Muslim and first South Asian picked up by ICE agents been revered as the cradle of criminals. Through its social that helped fuel Democratic
mayor. He is also an immi- without warning only for pro- democracy and a beacon of media posts, the Trump ad- wins in New Jersey, Virginia
grant. Born in Uganda to testing against Israel’s mili- freedom. ministration claims that they and other key races across
parents of Indian descent tary operation in Gaza that Trump and some Repub- have been given a mandate the country. Even the newly
(his mother is Mira Nair – a has resulted in over 65,000 lican members of Congress to take back America from elected Virginia Lt Governor
famous filmmaker) he will deaths. More recently, the have even threatened to immigrants by portraying the Ghazala Hashmi is an Indian
be the first naturalized im- administration has also re- deport naturalized citizens. the US labor force dominat- born Muslim.
migrant to serve as mayor voked the visas of people, Even Mamdani has been ed by white people. Mamdani’s election
since Abraham Beame in the including Nobel laureates, and continues to be subject This is so far removed proves that immigrants have
1970s. who have been critical of the to such threats. He has also from reality as the labor power, and no matter what
been subjected to the force at a construction site or this administration claims to
most vile racist attacks farm is dominated by immi- the contrary, America has
and Islamophobia. grants, but this administra- been and will continue to be
Trump has sought tion lives in a fantasy world a nation of immigrants.
to expand executive of an America that is devoid Immigrants have not
power as much as he of immigrants who have in just contributed to America
can, and this overreach fact always been present and through their achievements,
has caused noncitizens built the country from its hard work and ingenuity, but
to fear they that they very founding. by voting for Mamdani they
live in a police state as It is against this back have also in this election put
the administration has drop that Mamdani through the breaks on Trump’s grow-
the power to detain and this historic victory offers a ing authoritarianism.
deport them under US glimpse of what America can As Mamdani aptly said
immigration laws. It can become after Trump. Voting in his victory speech: “New
also detain them at re- for him was an act of defi- York will remain a city of im-
mote detention centers ance and hope reflective of migrants, a city built by im-
and also at the prisons the New York spirt that may migrants, powered by immi-
of other countries that not currently epitomize all of grants, and as of tonight led
have made arrange- America but lays the ground- by an immigrant.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cyrus D. Mehta, a graduate of Cambridge University and Columbia Law School, is the Managing Partner of
m of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC in New York City. Mr. Mehta is a member of AILA’s Administrative Litigation
CYRUS D. MEHTA & PARTNERS PLLC Task Force; AILA’s EB-5 Committee; former chair of AILA’s Ethics Committee; special counsel on immigration
matters to the Departmental Disciplinary Committee, Appellate Division, First Department, New York; member
of the ABA Commission on Immigration; board member of Volunteers for Legal Services and board member of
New York Immigration Coalition. Mr. Mehta is the former chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Immi-
gration Council and former chair of the Committee on Immigration and Nationality Law of the New York City
Bar Association. He is a frequent speaker and writer on various immigration-related issues, including on ethics,
and is also an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, where he teaches a course entitled Immigration
and Work. Mr. Mehta received the AILA 2018 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for advancing the practice of
immigration law and the AILA 2011 Michael Maggio Memorial Award for his outstanding efforts in providing
pro bono representation in the immigration field. He has also received two AILA Presidential Commendations in
2010 and 2016. Mr. Mehta is ranked among the most highly regarded lawyers in North America by Who’s Who
2 6th Floor Legal – Corporate Immigration Law 2019 and is also ranked in Chambers USA and Chambers Global 2019 in
immigration law, among other rankings.
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