On Thursday, the agency’s official X account posted a message inviting members of the New York Police Department to “join an agency that respects you, your family, and your commitment to serving in law enforcement.”
The recruitment post appeared to target concerns raised by critics of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who have warned that some NYPD officers may resign or relocate rather than serve under his administration, New York Magazine Intellgencer reported.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to appeal directly to local law enforcement. In October, the Associated Press reported that ICE spent millions of dollars on targeted television ads nationwide, using politically charged messaging to recruit police officers in sanctuary cities.
The campaign was part of the White House’s effort to meet its goal of hiring 10,000 new ICE officers by the end of the year.
According to the report, the 30-second ads aired in cities including Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Denver, the Intelligencer noted.
President Donald Trump has been outspoken in his criticism of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, labeling him a “communist” and threatening to withhold federal funding from New York City or even have him arrested if he refuses to cooperate with ICE once in office.
Mamdani, who was sharply critical of Trump throughout his campaign, said Wednesday that he remains open to working with the president on reducing the city’s cost of living — his signature campaign issue, the outlet added.
The outreach to the NYPD comes after Mamdani issued a warning to federal immigration agents during remarks on Wednesday about his transition to City Hall.
In response to a reporter’s question, the 34-year-old democratic socialist said, “My message to ICE agents, and to everyone across this city, is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law. If you violate the law, you must be held accountable,” Newsweek reported.
“There’s sadly a sense that is growing across this country that certain people are allowed to violate the law, whether that be the president or agents themselves,” Mamdani continued. “What New Yorkers are looking for is an era of consistency, an era of clarity, and an era of conviction. And that’s what we will deliver to them.”
The mayor-elect’s comments came as part of a broader press event where he introduced his transition team and outlined plans for the weeks ahead of his January 1, 2026, inauguration.
New York City saw thousands of immigrants arrive during the Biden administration, many crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, with President Donald Trump heavily criticizing how the sanctuary city handled the issue and its refusal to cooperate with federal enforcement.
Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, vowed before Election Day that ICE agents would “flood the zone” in New York City and pursue illegal immigrants under renewed federal orders.
While other sanctuary cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston have seen large-scale ICE operations, New York has remained comparatively restrained, with targeted enforcement at a smaller scale.
That could now change as Mamdani prepares to take office.
The mayor-elect has been sharply critical of ICE, describing it as “a rogue agency” with “no interest in law and order.”
Over the summer, he pledged to prevent federal agents from carrying out removals from the city.
While local sanctuary policies bar police from aiding immigration enforcement, city leaders cannot legally block federal agents from conducting operations.
That has fueled ongoing clashes between Democratic leaders and the Department of Homeland Security, which has threatened to withhold funding from cities refusing to honor ICE detainers.
Truck Driver Leaps Into Zoo Enclosure To Save Drowning Chimpanzee Jo-Jo 
Signs cautioning visitors not to approach the animals’ enclosures are frequently posted at zoos. But that didn’t stop one courageous truck driver from rescuing a chimpanzee by jumping inside one.
Rick Swope, his wife, and their three kids were at the Detroit Zoo admiring the animals when they saw two male chimps fighting.
Jo-Jo, one of the less combative chimps, slipped into the deep moat while attempting to avoid the battle. People were still oblivious to what was happening and were just staring at the poor animal helplessly as he began to drown.
Then, without any hesitation, Swope leaped into the sea. Retrieving the monkey to safety, he grabbed him. The amazing event that played out in front of the spectators left them in utter disbelief.
“It was the most pitiful thing I ever saw,” Swope said after the rescue. “This chimp had his hands up and his head was sticking out of the water. He was looking at the crowd. It was like he wanted someone to rescue him.”
During the rescue, the zoo staff kept telling Swope to get out, but he never thought of doing that without Jo-Jo. “People . . . were showing me which direction he was in,”
Swope recalled. “The water was so dirty you couldn`t see through it. I swam around on the bottom. Finally I found him.”
Fortunately, Jo-Jo was able to cross a cable that Swope had put in place to prevent chimps from slipping in the moat.
“He was pretty lifeless, but you could see he was still alive. He was looking at me. I think he knew what was going on,” Swope said.
Swope seemed to be saying
“thank you” as Jo-Jo gazed directly into his eyes. He knew that day a man had saved his life.
“Well, you see, I happened to look into his eyes, and it was like looking into the eyes of a man, and the message was, ‘Won’t anybody help me?’”
According to zoo employee Jane Goodall, Jo-Jo’s existence wasn’t simple. After his mother was slain by poachers when he was quite young, he was sent to the zoo.
“[But] if you see that look with your eyes, and you feel it in your heart, you have to jump in and try to help,”
she said.