A federal judge has ordered New York City to hand over the names and birthdates of some residents of a city-run homeless shelter in the Bronx to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, dealing a setback to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration.
In a 12-page order issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled that ICE’s subpoena “concerns a matter which is material and relevant to the enforcement of the federal immigration laws,” the New York Post reported.
The case centers on the Bruckner shelter in the Mott Haven neighborhood, which houses up to about 2,200 men. ICE is investigating whether residents there are in the country illegally and subject to deportation.
ICE originally sought information on male residents of two city-run shelters in August 2025, and has revised its subpoena several times since. The city has fought the demands throughout, calling them a “fishing expedition.” Under an agreement reached during the litigation, an independent special master will screen the records, and only information about residents accused of specified violent crimes will be passed to ICE.
The city is “evaluating next steps,” Mamdani spokesperson Ivonne Rodriguez said. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her office is “reviewing the possibility of an appeal.”
The Bruckner shelter drew fierce opposition from neighborhood residents and local officials when it opened, and has remained one of the most contentious sites in the city’s response to the migrant crisis.
