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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 4 CITY VIEWS February 13, 2026 NYC Mayor Reaffirms Sanctuary Status At Interfaith Breakfast, Announces New Immigrant Protections N ewYork City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday used his administration’s first annual Interfaith Breakfast to reaffirm the city’s sanctuary city status and announce a sweeping executive order aimed at limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Addressing nearly 400 faith and com- munity leaders from across the city’s five boroughs, Mamdani framed the city’s immigration policies as a moral respon- sibility shared across religious tradi- tions, citing Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim teachings during his remarks. “As ICE fosters a culture of suspicion and fear, let this city of strangers set an example for how to make the sorrows of others our own,” Mamdani said. “Let us offer a new path — one of defiance through compassion.” During the speech, Mamdani briefly referenced his own faith, Islam, describ- ing it as “a religion built upon a narrative of migration.” He quoted the Prophet Muhammad, saying, “Islam began as something strange and will go back to being strange, so glad tidings to the strangers,” linking the passage to his call for solidarity with immigrants. At the breakfast, Mamdani signed an executive order reaffirming NewYork City’s sanctuary laws. The order strength- ens privacy protections for all residents, restricts federal immigration enforce- ment on city property without a judicial warrant and requires city agencies to audit policies governing interactions with immigration authorities. The order also establishes an inter- agency response committee to coordi- nate city action in the event of escalated federal immigration enforcement or other major crises. Mamdani also announced a citywide “KnowYour Rights” initiative that will distribute nearly 32,000 multilingual flyers and booklets through faith institu- tions. The materials outline residents’ rights during encounters with Immigra- tion and Customs Enforcement and include information for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Legal Support Hotline. The mayor urged faith leaders to help distribute the materials, noting that im- migrant NewYorkers often turn first to religious communities for guidance and support. By Ilayas Quraishi PHOTO:NYC.GOV PHOTO:KRIPA PRASAD ITV GOLD New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during an interfaith breakfast Thursday, Feb. 6, 2026, in New York. Faith leaders listen as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses an interfaith audience during a breakfast event Thursday, Feb. 6, 2026, in New York. C ongresswoman Judy Chu, D-California, announced her endorsement February 6, of Indian American candidate Dr. Tina Shah of New Jersey. Dr. Shah is seeking her party’s nomination and is pitted against 7 other Democrats for the primary which is scheduled for June 2, 2026. “I am excited to endorse Dr. Tina Shah for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District. As a physician serving her community for years, Tina knows how important our fight for affordable and accessible health- care is – and she knows how to deliver it,” Chu said in a statement carried in a press release from Shah’s campaign. “We’re both the children of immigrants, have watched our parents fulfill the American Dream, and will work tirelessly to ensure every American family has the oppor- tunity to do the same. I look forward to serving with Dr. Shah in Congress,” Rep. Chu added. Shah said she was grateful for the sup- port of a Congresswoman who “knows how to get things done in Congress and deliver for her community. I look forward to joining her in Congress to ensure the American Dream is accessible to all.” Dr. Shah, an intensive care physician, has served in both the Obama and Biden administrations. She appears adept as a political aspirant, and raised over $1 mil- lion in just six months in 2025. She has continued to earn support from physi- cian advocacy groups, like the American College of Physicians Services PAC and the American College of Obstetrics, as well as several members of Congress, among them Rep. Dr. Ami Bera of Cali- fornia. Shah is a triple board-certified physi- cian and claims her firsthand experience on how rising costs, insurance denials, and political dysfunction put lives at risk, equips her for running to bring change through the legislative body. New Jersey’s Dr. Tina Shah Adds Another Important Endorsement In Her Run For US Congress From New Jersey By a StaffWriter PHOTO:@DRTINASHAHFORCONGRESS.COM PHOTO:CHU.HOUSE.GOV Dr. Tina Shah. Rep. Judy Chu, D-California.