Meet The Radical ‘Abolish ICE’ Activist Tapped As Mamdani’s New Immigration Chief

New York City’s democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani just tapped a new immigration officer to his administration who previously advocated to “abolish ICE” and has cozied up to radical figures and organizations.

Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he had appointed Faiza Ali as the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

The NYC mayor said he made the choice “at a time when immigrant New Yorkers face escalating attacks and uncertainty,” adding that “this administration will not equivocate.”

“I am the proud daughter of immigrant parents from Pakistan who came to New York City with courage, an unshakable belief in possibility, and the determination to build a future here. This city gave us opportunity, stability, and the chance to put down roots, just as it has for generations of immigrants before us,” Ali said in a statement following her appointment.

“As Commissioner, I am committed to building a city that ensures every New Yorker, regardless of when they arrived or where they were born, can live, work, and raise families with dignity,” Ali added.

In a 2019 X post, Ali called to “abolish ICE” in response to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and his efforts to “weaponize fear and institutionalize white supremacy.”

Ali was arrested during a protest in 2018, where she also called for ICE’s demise.

“Made it back home to Brooklyn from D.C. after being arrested Thurs afternoon alongside 633 women protesting family separation & demanding we #abolishICE,” Ali wrote in an Instagram post at the time.

“We will not be silent while 45 & his collaborators commit human rights abuses. We will keep showing up. #WomenDisobey,” the post concluded.

In 2014, Ali advocated for 11 million “undocumented” immigrants to receive American citizenship, according to an X post.

She was also arrested during a 2017 protest outside of Trump Tower, according to the New York Post. During the incident, she was cuffed alongside Linda Sarsour, who has in the past faced criticism for espousing antisemitic views and praising terrorists like Rasmea Odeh, who was involved in a 1969 bombing in Jerusalem that killed two and injured nine.

Odeh was also stripped of United States citizenship over her ties to terrorist attacks.

Ali worked for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) as its director of community affairs in New York. CAIR has been accused of having ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

The State of Texas recently designated CAIR as a terrorist organization and sued the group. Florida also took similar action against CAIR with a terror designation.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged that a CAIR-Texas founding board member was convicted in 2008 of funneling $12.4 million to Hamas through the Holy Land Foundation, with CAIR named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.

CAIR dismissed the lawsuit, calling it “defamatory and unconstitutional.”

Ali also served on the staff of the New York City Council in 2014, was the advocacy and civic engagement director for the Arab American Association of New York, and co-founded the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, according to the mayor’s office.

She also served as the director of advocacy at the Arab American Association of New York and an organizer with Brooklyn Congregations United.

Mamdani’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.