Skip to content

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani uses July 4 address to call for asylum

newsJul 3, 2026202,536

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used a July 4 address from behind George Washington's desk in New York City Hall to urge that America offer asylum to persecuted migrants, saying "America should offer asylum for the persecuted not persecute those seeking asylum." Mamdani framed immigration as a core issue in the speech marking the nation's 250th anniversary and criticized concentrated wealth, saying the country tolerates "monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections." He argued that those who rule through "exclusion and isolation" exploit division, and he called real patriotism "righteous dissent, marching for justice, and fighting to make this country live up to its promise." Mamdani also positioned a politics that centers working people as the remedy, saying Americans want "a new kind of politics" that puts working people at the heart of government. Robert Reich amplified Mamdani's asylum line, and national outlets and commentators have highlighted the speech as a rebuke to exclusionary politics.

Kyle Griffin
@kylegriffin1.bsky.social

Zohran Mamdani: "We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world — one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections.

18054h ago
1 source