New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani found himself explaining an unusual public disagreement Tuesday after his administration made an announcement involving his family that was quickly contradicted by another part of city government.
The conflicting statements raised questions about communication between City Hall and the NYPD, with a former police commissioner saying the disagreement should never have occurred over an issue involving security.
Mamdani blamed a “miscommunication” after the NYPD publicly contradicted his office’s claim that officers would accompany First Lady Rama Duwaji on her planned September trip to Syria and Lebanon.
“There was a miscommunication,” Mamdani told PIX11.
“She has not yet taken that trip, and when she takes that trip it will be without any NYPD detail,” the mayor said.
That statement differed sharply from what Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekec had said one day earlier after reports emerged about Duwaji’s planned Sept. 20 trip.
“Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the first lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” Pekec said.
A source familiar with the security arrangements also said Duwaji had requested the escort and that Mamdani’s office had confirmed city police officers would accompany her.
The NYPD then issued a public statement Tuesday morning flatly rejecting the suggestion that its officers would make the trip.
“The NYPD does not send officers to countries with level four travel advisories for discretionary reasons not linked to investigative work,” a department spokesperson said.
“This is not an investigative trip, and therefore, NYPD personnel will not be traveling there for it,” the spokesperson added.
One source familiar with what happened offered a straightforward explanation for how City Hall apparently announced an NYPD security arrangement that the department itself said did not exist.
“They never checked with the commissioner,” the source said.
Both Syria and Lebanon are currently included on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list because of security concerns, complicating any potential deployment of New York City police officers.
A source with knowledge of Duwaji’s planned trip said it was personal rather than connected to her husband’s administration.
“It’s not official business,” the source said. “It’s not doing anything for the city.”
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton described the prospect of sending city officers into countries carrying the highest-level State Department travel advisory as “ill-advised.”
Bratton said such an operation would be “expensive” and would likely require substantial coordination and assistance from the federal government.
“There would be lots of hoops you’d have to go through for that kind of assignment,” Bratton said.
Bratton also said the conflicting statements from City Hall and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s department represented a communications failure that needed to be addressed.
“You’re going to have to clear up the confusion,” he said.
David Catalfamo, who served as communications director for former New York Gov. George Pataki, similarly argued that security decisions require political officials to defer to law enforcement professionals.
“I suspect communication between the mayor’s office and the police department will be better in the future,” Catalfamo said.
“The political folks want to run ahead of the story,” he continued. “It doesn’t work that way when it comes to security.”
“The NYPD wants to be there to protect the mayor and his family — but there are limits,” Catalfamo added. “Going to Syria and Lebanon is not like buying a ticket on Amtrak.”
Duwaji, a 29-year-old Syrian-American artist whom Mamdani has described as a “private person,” traveled internationally without NYPD protection as recently as July.
The episode also comes amid a complicated working relationship between Mamdani and Tisch, who have publicly disagreed on Israel and several law enforcement issues since the mayor took office in January, The New York Post reported.
Despite those disagreements, Mamdani and Tisch have continued to appear together at public safety events, with the mayor highlighting reductions in crime under their administration.
