Fact Check: Did Mamdani threaten Tom Homan saying 'You and your goons are not welcome in NYC'?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An allegation has been going viral on social media platforms claiming that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized Border Czar Tom Homan, stating that he and his goons are not welcome in the city. The claim reflects Mamdani’s stance against aggressive immigration crackdowns, prompting a fact-check.

Claim: Zohran Mamdani and Tom Homan threatened each other

According to the viral X post, which was posted on Friday, August 14, Mamdani told Tom Homan that he and his agents “aren’t welcome in New York City.” 

In response, Homan allegedly said, “Keep out of our way, and you won’t be on the news in handcuffs.”

The post garnered conflicting reactions from online users, with many appearing to support Mamdani’s stance, while others criticized the mayor and agreed with Homan’s alleged threat.

The post has garnered tens of thousands of views as of this writing, with many questioning its authenticity and calling for verification of the claim.

Fact Check: No such exchange took place between Zohran Mamdani and Tom Homan

However, there is no evidence of such an exchange between the city’s mayor and Border Czar. Hence, the claim is rated as false.

A search for the claim online and across media sources including Google, social media handles, and official websites yielded no relevant results.

There are also no credible news reports about the alleged argument, which, if true, will not go unreported, given Mamdani’s criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies.

Moreover, the X account called ‘John McAfee News’ is not credible and has posted several fake and exaggerated claims for engagement.

Zohran Mamdani calls for abolishing ICE

In June, Mamdani called for the abolition of ICE, arguing that the agency could not be reformed. 

“This is partially why I have put forward a vision alongside so many others to say that ICE should be abolished, that there is no way to reform this kind of cruelty that we’re seeing endemic in the way that immigration is being enforced across the country,” he said. 

“When it comes to our city, we are proud of our sanctuary city policies. We are proud of the policies we’ve put forward and also the executive orders we’ve put forward to ensure that every single agency is complying with those policies,” he said, defending the city’s approach to immigration enforcement.