Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good evening. I was gonna say, “Good evening, New York City,” but there may be those of you who are tuning in from beyond our beautiful five boroughs. I think first and foremost, I wanna say thank you for coming back to "Talk With The People."
Now today, as you know, there's a lot on our minds. The thing that comes right to the front of it for me is empathy and solidarity with Haitian and Syrian New Yorkers. We saw today the Supreme Court make a decision that is putting so many people's lives in jeopardy. And I just came back from a rally with 1199 as I stood alongside a number of Haitian New Yorkers, who are concerned about what this means for their status in our city. And frankly, this city, the one that we love, is one that has been built by so many from so many different parts of the world. And that includes our Haitian brothers and sisters [and] our Syrian brothers and sisters. And we stand here ready to be in solidarity with all of those who are concerned by today's decision. And beyond just the language of solidarity, actions of solidarity. Now, what that means when it comes to our city is if you are worried about what this means for your status, if you're worried about what this means for your family, I would encourage you to call our Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Hotline, and you can do so at 1-800-354-0365. Again, that's 1-800-354-0365.
Now, many of you know this is a city of 8.5 million people. More than 3 million of us were born elsewhere. I'm one of them. We're a city that's proud of our immigrant heritage. And when we think about, especially, what Haitian New Yorkers have had to deal with, not just for weeks or months or years, but frankly for decades, we have seen a cruelty that has become normalized. And to have people who frankly taught the world about freedom have their own freedom be put in jeopardy by the actions of a Supreme Court and a federal administration, it is not only cruel, it's something that we will not ever accept.
And so, we stand here as New Yorkers, proud of standing in solidarity and proud to do everything that we can to keep people in their homes and to keep people together. And we're proud of that because we know that at the core of what it means to be a New Yorker is also to celebrate the many different places that we all come from. To understand that no matter where we were born, no matter what language we spoke growing up, we belong in this city. And this city belongs to us. And especially when you think about the fact, as you can see here on this pin, a team that brought us all together in the Knicks and reminded us of what it means to be a part of the city. The joy, the emotion, the ecstasy that comes with knowing yourself as a New Yorker. And it wasn't just embracing the people next to you whose names you've known for years, it was also jumping into the arms of a stranger, watching the game wherever you were, whether it was a LinkNYC kiosk or at a bar or in a backyard or on a delayed stream, somehow in the trunk of a random New Yorker's car, you were watching the game.
And I think what those weeks also showed us was the magic of this city, and that at the heart of that is each and every New Yorker, no matter how different their stories are — whether they're Haitian, whether they're Syrian, whether they are from wherever it may be in the world — they too are New Yorkers. We're proud of them. We're proud of this city. Now, if I'm gonna talk about the Knicks, we're gonna talk a team that was on a hot streak, which is a very natural segue into also talking about the weather and how hot it has been, and how hot it continues to be.
And so, I wanted to let everyone know, as the temperatures are heating up — today is maybe in the mid-80s or so — we're gonna see days where we start to get close to what it was at the peak of last year, 99 degrees, more than 100 when it comes to JFK. We want to make it clear to New Yorkers how to stay safe. Now, that means staying cool, it means sometimes staying indoors, staying as close as you can to air conditioning, whether it be at your home, a friend's place or maybe just a public library or at a cooling center. Now, if you want to know where those kinds of resources are, I would ask you to text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692. Again, that's NOTIFYNYC, to 692-692. That will sign you up for regular updates of the weather, of the resources that you need, and just staying up to date with things, whatever they may be, happening in our city, things that you should know.
Now, we know that of 8.5 million people who call this city home, when we're talking about the heat, it really does apply not just to all of us, but even especially to the 1.4 million New Yorkers who work outdoors. Recently, earlier this week, I stood alongside a number of New Yorkers, including John Mosquera, who is one of those very workers who loads cargo onto planes and was doing so at an airport here in our city when he lost consciousness as a result of the heat. Because we measure the temperature as we know it, maybe in Central Park, sometimes on the tarmac, but when you're in that cargo hold, it's even hotter. And he lost his consciousness, started to see spots, and then just 10 minutes after he passed out, he had to get right back to work.
And so earlier this week, I signed an executive order that instructed city agencies to start to develop protections and guidance for workers who are working outside to remind employers of their responsibilities under the law and to ensure that for delivery workers, we actually enforce those kinds of protections. Protections that include ensuring that they can actually go to the bathroom at the same restaurants that they're delivering food for. Because what we see far too often is our idea of a workplace is one that maybe was true 50 years ago, 100 years ago. But today, for many New Yorkers, that workplace is outside. That workplace is on the streets. That workplace is in transit. And they still are entitled to the same protections as any other worker. And so that's why we made the decision to not only sign that executive order, but also to make clear to New Yorkers what it means to be safe, especially in an era of an ever-escalating climate crisis.
Now, in this moment, as we are speaking about the heat, you might hear me talk about it every few days on something called "The Morning Pitch." Every time that New York City and New Jersey are hosting a World Cup match, I'll start the day off giving you not only the updates you need to know for how to get to the game, the teams that are playing, also the weather, and just giving you [updates] on every single one of those eight matches that we're going to host. Today happens to be one of those matches: Ecuador playing Germany. I haven't actually tuned in. I think we're about to hit the end of the first half, so if you know any updates, please do hit them in the chat.
And what we're seeing right now is not only a decider because Ecuador needs to win this game in order to qualify, but also an opportunity for so many New Yorkers to celebrate their heritage and where they're from. There are more than 200,000 Ecuadorian New Yorkers for whom today is such an incredible day. And if you want to join in that celebration, one way you can also do so is to make sure you hop on a 7 train that has been painted with the colors of both the Ecuadorian national team as well as the German national team. And you can actually find out where that train is by downloading the latest version of the MTA app — and that'll show you so you can time which train car you're getting on.
Now, alongside the World Cup, we also have something that maybe a few less New Yorkers are thinking about, but it's still incredibly important, and that's the Committee on Government Efficiency (COGE). If you've watched the last two streams, then you know that we are talking about using every tool at our disposal on how to make government as excellent and as efficient as possible. Now we have two more hearings coming up next week. They're going to be in the Bronx. They're going be in Brooklyn. They're going to be starting at 5 p.m. Now, if this is something that you're interested in, I would encourage you to go to nyc.gov/coge. Again, that's nyc.gov/coge. If you went to one of the hearings, please let us know how it was. What kind of testimony did you share? Because we want to know. We want to make sure that City government is something that you not only know about, but also that you help to inform what it is that we do. And we can't wait to hear from you, whether you've already done so or whether you're thinking about joining one of these few additional hearings.
Now, as you know, on "Talk with the People," we open up with some of the updates from the week, and then we have a guest that we want to introduce not only to all of you, but also to give a moment to actually explore their reflections, their thoughts, their feelings about what life is like in our city. And so, today, I wanted to bring up a New Yorker who is an incredibly special New Yorker, a New Yorker who I had the opportunity to speak to over the phone, and now today I'm having the first chance to actually sit with. That New Yorker's name is Dabrio Marrero. Come on up. How's it going, Allen?
Allan Dabrio Marrero: I'm good. How are you?
Mayor Mamdani: It's great to have you.
Dabrio Marrero: Thank you for having me.
Mayor Mamdani: For those who don't know, Allan is a New Yorker who was detained by ICE for over 150 days. And we had the opportunity to chat on the phone, but I'm so thankful, not only that you're back home, but that I actually get to meet you in person. So, thank you for being here.
Dabrio Marrero: Thank you for having me. I appreciate you.
Mayor Mamdani: It's such a pleasure. How are you doing today?
Dabrio Marrero: Good. First time meeting you. It's exciting. We appreciate you so much that you do for our city. I feel safe here with you. So, thank you.
Mayor Mamdani: I'm so glad. I'm so glad. Truly, it is a privilege to be sitting next to you, and I think to also be so close here to those who've been fighting for you. And I just want you to know one of the many reasons we wanted to give people the chance to get to hear from you is so many have come to know your name, your cause — through the news, through social media — but to get a chance to actually know you. And so, I think before we speak about ICE, before we speak about detention, I'd love to just speak about you to get a sense of who you are. What's your New York City story?
Dabrio Marrero: My New York City story is, of course, I'm an immigrant, [a] proud immigrant, and I came from the Cayman Islands back in 2013, and I've been living in New York ever since.
Mayor Mamdani: Where did you first move to?
Dabrio Marrero: I first moved to the Bronx, Marble Hill.
Mayor Mamdani: Shouts to the BX.
Dabrio Marrero: So, I was there for a few years and then eventually made it down to Harlem. And now I live with my beautiful husband, Matthew. We live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
Mayor Mamdani: We want to give a very big hug to Matthew and a very big digital round of applause, because truly your partner has been such a rock, not just for you, but for so many New Yorkers looking to fight for humanity.
Dabrio Marrero: Yes, absolutely, Matthew has been there for me from the start of everything, from the time we first met to going through our process in which we had to go through. And I call him my magical unicorn. He makes me feel safe. He makes me feel seen and heard.
Mayor Mamdani: How did you meet Matthew?
Dabrio Marrero: I met Matthew through an online Instagram Live.
Mayor Mamdani: Oh wow!
Dabrio Marrero: Through one of my friends.
Mayor Mamdani: An Instagram Live?
Dabrio Marrero: Instagram Live!
Mayor Mamdani: You can find love anywhere! Yes! Come on! You found love on an Instagram Live.
Dabrio Marrero: I did. I did.
Mayor Mamdani: I found love on Hinge. But Instagram Live, that's awesome. How did you — take me through that.
Dabrio Marrero: One of his friends was hosting the show. One of my friends joined on the Live. And when he joined on Live, I saw that he was on the Live, so I hopped on. So, I saw that and then they brought him, Matthew, in as part of their guest for the show, and I was like, who is that? I was so curious. I was so, like, caught off guard. I was like, "Okay." I came off the Live and went straight into stalker mode. I went into his page and started liking a whole bunch of his pictures.
Mayor Mamdani: You hadn't spoken yet?
Dabrio Marrero: I hadn't spoken with him yet. I just liked—
Mayor Mamdani: How many likes did you hit him with?
Dabrio Marrero: I don't know. I went through so many. I just was like, "See me. See me. See me. See me."
Mayor Mamdani: It worked! Usually, I would say that never works. You can never like your way to an interaction.
Dabrio Marrero: It definitely worked.
Mayor Mamdani: That's amazing.
Dabrio Marrero: That was back in January of 2023.
Mayor Mamdani: That's beautiful. Wow, and then when did you first meet?
Dabrio Marrero: We met in person first around March of 2023. We met in March. But before that, we would spend hours on the phone just talking, and that's when I just, I don't know, I kind of just knew he was the one because we started off speaking at like a four-hour rate per day and then it went up to five hours and six hours and before you know it I'm like I gotta charge my phone because we gotta you know. And it was just beautiful and amazing to be in contact with him because we just connected on so many different levels.
Mayor Mamdani: You know what I love about your story is at one level, it feels so profoundly, you know, 2026. And at the other level, the idea of the two of you just on the phone for hours also just feels like such an old love. I know you both have cell phones as you're doing it, but in my mind, for some reason, you have the telephone cord. It's just like you're losing yourself in the conversation. And what I really appreciate about the way you describe the love is to be seen, to be safe, to be yourself. And I know that so many in the city, they want nothing more than that. And that you found that in someone, it's a beautiful thing. Now, you can try to go on Instagram Live and find that yourself, but I think the rate of success is gonna be a little lower. I don't know if a magical unicorn is waiting for everyone on the other side of that Live. But that's amazing. That's amazing. And now you guys actually live together, so you don't have to be on the phone as much?
Dabrio Marrero: We don't have to be on the phone at all. We're still on the phone. We're still on the phone. He was the one to introduce me to FaceTime because I hated FaceTime.
Mayor Mamdani: Why did you hate FaceTime?
Dabrio Marrero: I don't know, I just didn't want to be on the — I don't know. I—
Mayor Mamdani: I used to not like FaceTime as well because, I was like, you know the whole point of the phone is you know? But I too have been introduced to FaceTime, and now I can't imagine life without it. So, you meet in 2023, and then you fall in, and at some point after that, your life changes. Can you share with us what happened?
Dabrio Marrero: Yes, so we met, we moved in together, and we were living, and we got married in 2023 as well, October 2023.
Mayor Mamdani: What day?
Dabrio Marrero: The eighteenth.
Mayor Mamdani: That's my birthday!
Dabrio Marrero: The 18 of October.
Mayor Mamdani: Well, I'll always know when your anniversary is.
Dabrio Marrero: Yeah, I'll always know when your birthday is.
Mayor Mamdani: That's amazing! Congratulations!
Dabrio Marrero: Thank you. Thank you. We were living happily and working, and we adopted our first pup, Sasha, from a rescue, and she was amazing. And visiting his family in Connecticut, and we'd have weekends there. And life was just normal. We went to church, Middle Church, which is where our community is, and built that community there. He's been part of the Middle Church community for like 10 years now and invited me there because he's in the choir. And it was just so beautiful to be a part of an open and inclusive church [where] you can be yourself and accepted as you are. And we went in and decided to change my status, and we thought we crossed our T's and dotted all our I's, but it didn't turn out that way. And I got detained on November 24, 2025, and for five months, I was separated from my husband. And it was torture. It was absolutely torture. It was very inhumane. It was just cruel to know that this is what's happening in this year, 2025.
Mayor Mamdani: What was that day like?
Dabrio Marrero: It started off nervous, anxious, and we went in to the USCIS building [at] 26 Federal Plaza. And we had a three-, four-, five-inch binder with photos and all my well-documented asylum process and, you know, any records that I had of myself being here and even before in the Islands, anything that they asked to bring as proof. And everything was well documented. And from the time we met the officer, she was just a bit in a different mind space. You know, she told us to dismantle our binder from not allowing our Reverend Amanda from Middle Church to come in with us and sit there. And when we challenged her, the supervisor said it's up to the discretion of the officer to let your reverend in. And she still denied her. So, we went in, and the interview was going okay as one would expect. You know immigration — you sit here, don't look at each other. And then the bomb drops, and she states, or she says, "Do you know you missed a hearing back in December of 2023”? And I was like, "No." And she said, "You missed a hearing, and you've been ordered a final order of removal." And at that point, I had no idea, no idea at all. I attempted to make contact with USCIS several times. And they didn't say that anything was wrong with my status. On my personal experience, I just never received the documentation, so I have no proof whether it was sent or not, but I know that I didn't receive it [and] that I've been to every other thing that I needed to attend for them.
Mayor Mamdani: You're in that meeting. You're there with your husband. And you're coming into that meeting in the hopes of writing that new chapter of your life. And that's where you're told that there's going to be immediate removal proceedings. What happens right after the meeting?
Dabrio Marrero: Right after the meeting, the officer said that she would allow us to go home [and] that we needed to get a lawyer and get in front of an immigration judge. The supervisor, for whatever reason, decided that was a no-go for him, and she started saying [that] she can't control anything outside of this room. We walk out of the room, and I automatically squeezed Matthew's hand, because I knew going the wrong way from where we entered [meant] something was wrong at this point. The supervisor walked us out and handed us over to two ICE agents that [were] waiting there. Matthew and I both started crying. He took my bag and my phone and everything, and they handcuffed me. They asked my name, and I didn't even see the piece of paper. I just didn't, you know — and Matthew went down the hall crying, and they took me into an elevator, and that was the last time I saw Matthew for five months.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you for telling us all of this. To have to relive the most traumatic day of your life, it's not an easy thing. Where did they take you after that?
Dabrio Marrero: They took me to Delaney Hall. I was there for several weeks.
Mayor Mamdani: The same Delaney Hall that people have been protesting.
Dabrio Marrero: The same Delaney Hall that people have been protesting. It's the same conditions that I went through, the same food and the same officers and being homophobic and being racist to individuals.
Mayor Mamdani: How did you feel it?
Dabrio Marrero: You felt it by them openly expressing it. When I went in, my toenails were painted, and they didn't give me shoes right away, so my feet were exposed, and officers would look down and they would mumble. With other people, different ethnicities, they would mock their ethnicity and culture and mock their language, how they spoke, and trying to speak like them. But they were mocking us, essentially. Yeah, and they did that constantly.
Mayor Mamdani: How long were you at Delaney?
Dabrio Marrero: I was at Delaney for three weeks.
Mayor Mamdani: And then, where did you go?
Dabrio Marrero: I was carted off to Arizona. From Arizona, I went to Texas. [After] Texas, we stopped in Alligator Alcatraz. And I was there for about two weeks.
Mayor Mamdani: I think for many who are watching, for myself, we know the names of these facilities. These are facilities where people have been protesting. You mentioned Delaney, Alligator Alcatraz. They're, in fact, closing it down, which is an admission of just the nature of depravity that was endemic to that institution. I've been asking you many questions. I know that we have a chat that's here, and we have many others who are here with us. And I want to ask you a few of the questions that they've brought up.
Livestream question: "It's pride. What would you say to young LGBTQ+ people right now who may be in fear? And what was the first thing that you were glad to do when you came back home?"
Dabrio Marrero: That's a great question. I think for me, what I would say to the young LGBTQ people right now that may be in fear is to find your community. Find your community, because in community, for me, that's where I felt safe. Try not to be alone. Always find your community. Build your network with your community The first thing that I was glad and able to do when we came back to New York was to go see my pups, Sasha and Roscoe, because Matthew came and picked me up.
Mayor Mamdani: I was gonna be like, where's Matthew in this story?
Dabrio Marrero: Matthew came and picked me up from Mississippi.
Livestream question: “Another queer immigrant here proud of immigrants like Allen."
Dabrio Marrero: We're proud, definitely proud. Continue to live within yourself and within your truth. Thank you,
Mayor Mamdani: You know, and I think one thing that I really appreciate is we're having this conversation during Pride, and It's also a reflection of the fact that to be an LGBTQ person in New York City, to be a member of the queer community, there is no one story. Sometimes we speak about immigration and queer rights and things as if they're somehow separate. Your story shows just how much of this is intertwined together. And I'm wondering if you can also share a little bit about what your experience has been as a queer person dealing with the cruelty of this immigration system.
Dabrio Marrero: So, it's been not necessarily a nightmare, but it's been something that I just didn't expect. When I moved here and immigrated here, I immigrated for a safer better life, and up until everything started with this immigration it just felt like the attacks especially on our trans community and the fight that they continue to do each and every day, just for them to live and be accepted as they are, it's really just cruel and inhumane.
Mayor Mamdani: I think it's hard to find other words to describe it because those words, they tell the truth. I know we have chat. We have a lot of people bringing in some questions. Allan, I think these are some for you to say.
Dabrio Marrero: I have a question for you.
Livestream question: "What resources are there for people in similar situations to Allan?"
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I really appreciate this question, because I think what we are hearing from Allan is sadly a story that there are too many New Yorkers who can relate to. Because we know that the cruelty of this immigration system is not one that is unique to this story. It is, in fact, endemic to what the federal government's approach has been across the country and across our city. So, if you are in danger of any of these kinds of situations that we've been discussing, first and foremost, I would encourage you to call our MOIA Legal Hotline. This is the same hotline I was referring to at the beginning of today's stream in regards to the Supreme Court decision that's going to affect Haitian and Syrian New Yorkers. Now, that phone number is 1-800-354-0365. It's a phone number where you can call and they can provide you with legal help, they can provides you with referrals.
Now, this is all from the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. I was just with our commissioner, Faiza Ali, because we know that this is a moment of fear, it's a moment of anxiety [and] it's also the exact moment when City government should be there for you. So, please do call this number if that's something that you're worried about for yourself or for anyone else. And furthermore, we wanna make it clear that our city does not simply oppose the actions of ICE but that we are not going to be complicit with those actions either. And that means making sure that every single city agency is in compliance with our sanctuary city policies. If you don't know what a sanctuary city policy is, I'll describe it this way. It means that we do not allow ICE agents into our schools, our hospitals [and] our city property unless they can provide a judicial warrant signed by a judge. It means we don't assist ICE with their immigration, their civil immigration enforcement. It means, that we make clear that we are proud of our heritage also as an immigrant city.
And these are a number of the things that we're doing alongside providing individual legal assistance as well as funding for immigrant legal defense services. Because what we see in this city is a story like Allan's — immigrant New Yorkers who are trying to make their way in our city only to have to face the threat of deportation with allegations of technical issues with their applications. And we've seen time and time again how 26 Federal Plaza has become a place of fear.
And I'll just tell you myself, I came to this country, I moved to New York City when I was seven years old. And I got my citizenship in 2018. And I remember going to 26 Federal Plaza. I remember one of the happiest days of my life was when I got to become an American citizen. I got married to my wife at the Clerk's Office, not too far away. And so, there was a period where the happiest places of my life in New York City were right there within a three to four to five block radius. And then my father, last year while I was running for mayor, he had his citizenship interview. And I was terrified. I was terrified because I knew that going into that building, we didn't know anymore what it would mean for when he would come out and how he would come out.
And so, I remember sitting in the — I think it was a Pret a Manger cafe opposite 26 Federal Plaza, on the phone with the lawyer, ready to file a pro se in case something happened to my father. And I will never know the pain that you have had to endure, or that your husband has had to endure, and yet I got a little glimpse of what it looks like to hug someone you love and not know when they'll be able to hug you back again. And there's just too many New Yorkers who have had to deal with that. And it's not something that we ever want to accept in this city. And I think what's so beautiful is that we can celebrate pride together here in New York City, and I'm just really thankful for you making the time.
Dabrio Marrero: Thank you, I appreciate you. I have a question for you.
Livestream question: I hope we see you mayor at Pride on Sunday.
Mayor Mamdani: You will see me there. I will be there. I'll pinky promise. Look at these nails. You see, I need to be keeping my nails clean like this. I will see you there on Sunday. And I also, you know, I was telling Allan earlier, he's given me confidence. I had dreams of maybe getting a buzz cut for the World Cup. Couldn't work up the courage for it. Now, I'm feeling a little bit — you're helping all of us.
Dabrio Marrero: Yeah, it's like I said, this is the first time I colored my hair, and I was just like, I'm going to do something this year. I'm just like, let's do it. So, I did it.
Mayor Mamdani: That's what this city is. It's not just a place where we want people to be safe, but also where people can celebrate every single part of yourself. And it's really a joy because we know right now in this city, it's such a beautiful time to be a New Yorker. And we don't want any of these threats that are coming down from the federal government to ever make someone feel less than what they are, which is a part of our city, and not only a part our past or our present, but also of our future. And I really appreciate you coming and sharing your story here. And to the chat, I appreciate all of you for your questions, for being on here.
The last question I'm gonna ask before we wrap it up — we've heard from a lot of people who have some interesting usernames. Do you have a username that you've ever used?
[Crosstalk.]
Mayor Mamdani: Well, chat, we appreciate you. [A livestream viewer] is asking chat, "Is this hopecore?" I feel like it's a lot of words I have no idea what they mean. But I really appreciate it because it sounds like a positive thing. So, thank you all so much for being here. Thank you, my friend. We'll see you guys soon.
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