5 minPolitics
Mamdani Team Clashes With Endorsed Socialist Candidate Over ICE Shooting
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's staff is reportedly furious with Democratic House candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier after she attacked NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over an ICE shooting, calling her a 'loose cannon' and a 'potential liability.'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration is reportedly at odds with a Democratic House candidate he personally endorsed, after she publicly attacked NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over a recent immigration enforcement shooting. According to the New York Post, Mamdani's staff was furious with Darializa Avila Chevalier, a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, for calling on the mayor to remove Tisch.
The friction stems from an incident earlier this month in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican Republic national, during an immigration operation. The DSA's New York City chapter subsequently demanded Tisch's removal. Chevalier, who had received Mamdani's endorsement, joined that call — a move that sources described to the New York Post as a «direct undermining» of the mayor.
Mamdani, however, has refused to remove Tisch. «Jessica Tisch is the police commissioner. I have no plans to change that,» he told reporters Tuesday. He said he was reviewing the circumstances of the shooting but stood by his commissioner. The mayor has also characterized ICE as a «rogue» agency following the shooting, claiming agents view the law as «merely a suggestion.»
Despite the mayor's position, Chevalier continued her criticism. While appearing with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, she took issue with Tisch highlighting Belgal's criminal history during a press conference. «You know, I was just so angry as I was listening to it,» Chevalier said. «I have gone back to her remarks to make sure that I was correct in our statement about it. But to me, it doesn't even matter, right? It doesn't even matter.»
The NYPD defended Tisch's remarks in a statement to Fox News Digital. «The Police Commissioner was giving a factual update on the incident, and we always provide criminal history in incident updates, if we have it. It's also one of the first questions that every media outlet asks the NYPD,» the department said.
Sources close to the mayor's team told the New York Post that Chevalier had been viewed as a «potential liability» for some time, and they were surprised by how quickly she became a problem. «They were pissed about what she did on social media and her public rhetoric on NYPD,» one source said. «City Hall was like, 'What the f--- are you doing!'» Another source added, «She is throwing her own fireball rhetoric to rally the folks. But instigating doesn't help.» One source described her bluntly as a «loose cannon,» adding, «They are sick of her, and she's not even started in Congress.»
The dispute highlights a broader tension within New York's Democratic coalition, where progressive candidates and established city leadership do not always align. Mamdani, a democratic socialist himself, has sought to balance his base's demands with the responsibilities of governing. Chevalier's willingness to break with him publicly — even before taking office — suggests that balancing act may grow more difficult.
New York State Republican Party Director of Communications David Laska seized on the rift, denouncing the Democratic Party for leaving Mamdani as a voice of reason. «Zohran Mamdani helped create this monster with years of anti-American, anti-Semitic rhetoric, and now it's eating him alive,» Laska told Fox News Digital. «History reminds us that even Robespierre was guillotined in the end.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Chevalier's campaign and City Hall for comment but did not receive an immediate response. The shooting itself has sparked protests in the Bronx, with Mamdani demanding that President Trump release Belgal, who remains in custody. The mayor's calls for a review of the incident have done little to quiet critics on either side, as the fallout continues to test the relationship between Mamdani and the progressive movement that helped elect him.
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