Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent decision to host Mahmoud Khalil — the organizer of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, whom ICE has attempted to deport — for dinner at Gracie Mansion on Monday night has sparked controversy.
The fast-breaking iftar, which took place during Ramadan, comes just two days after the failed Gracie Mansion terrorist attack in which two suspects hurled bombs at groups of protesters at an anti-Muslim demonstration. For whatever reason, the bombs did not detonate, but officers were able to clear the area and apprehend the suspects.
The mayor, along with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, invited two of the heroic officers — Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards and Sergeant Luis Navarro — to a press conference on Monday, thanking them for their efforts and giving New Yorkers an update on the investigation.
But controversy erupted Tuesday hours after Mamdani posted a picture on social media of Khalil at the Gracie Mansion dinner, acknowledging the “profound hardship and courage” he faced when he was detained.
“For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage,” Mamdani wrote.
He added his belief that Khalil was deliberately targeted by the Trump administration for his “protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
The dinner invitation, however, drew sharp criticism from some New Yorkers who questioned the mayor’s priorities and commitment to public safety.
“It was a tone-deaf move,” one retired NYPD officer said. “These officers went above and beyond what was expected of them and risked their lives for New Yorkers and the mayor.”
Staten Island Council Member Frank Morano acknowledged the heroic efforts of the officers who thwarted a catastrophic attack. He suggested the mayor should have had the cops over to Gracie Mansion for dinner, not Khalil.
“Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro ran toward a lit explosive device and likely prevented a tragedy,” Morano said. “They’re heroes. If anyone deserves the spotlight at Gracie Mansion right now, it’s the NYPD officers who put their lives on the line — not Mahmoud Khalil.”
Others suggested Mamdani’s choice of dinner guests spoke more about where he stands on his relationship with the Jewish community.
Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, called Mamdani’s decision to host Khalil at Gracie Mansion an act of normalization of political violence against Jews. He condemned the mayor for using the iconic building, the city’s official mayoral residence, to recognize Khalil, whose detention sparked massive protests throughout the city.
“Khalil is not a hero,” the attorney said. “He is a man the federal government has accused of fraud on his immigration application and of leading activities aligned with Hamas. His deportation case remains active. Yet the Mayor of New York City – days after an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on his own doorstep – chose this moment to seat him at his table and celebrate him publicly.”
He is concerned that the dinner sends the message that the mayor will not protect Jewish New Yorkers from antisemitic attacks.
“To Jewish New Yorkers, it says their mayor will not protect them,” Filitti added. “To campus agitators across the country, it says that organizing antisemitic harassment earns you a seat at the mayor’s table. And to law enforcement, it says New York City’s mayor is an obstacle, not a partner. Mayor Mamdani has repeatedly told us who he is. It’s time New Yorkers take him at his word.”
The holiday dinner marked the one-year anniversary of Khalil’s detention by federal agents. Although he has been released from ICE, his deportation case remains in the hands of the courts.
“A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE facility for months. In that time, he was forced to miss the birth of his first child,” the post continued. “All of this for exercising his First Amendment rights in protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has accused Khalil of supporting the terror group Hamas. His supporters call him a political prisoner being unfairly targeted.
For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage.
A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE… pic.twitter.com/6dBtLh0GeT
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 10, 2026
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