Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to appoint Faiza Ali as the next head of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, according to people familiar with the planned move. The choice would put a longtime City Hall staffer and immigrant-rights organizer at the center of the city’s push to protect and serve New Yorkers born abroad as federal immigration enforcement ramps up. The potential appointment was first reported by NY1, which cited sources saying the announcement is expected soon and that Ali was part of Mamdani’s transition team.
About Ali
Ali has climbed the City Hall ranks, serving as first deputy chief of staff to then Speaker Adrienne Adams, where she worked on budget negotiations, the City of Yes program and efforts to preserve New York’s sanctuary-city protections. Before joining the Council, she led advocacy work at the Arab American Association of New York and organized with community groups, according to the Council’s 2022 staff announcement.
She was also among the more than 400 advisors named to Mamdani’s transition committees last year, a list the campaign framed as the talent pool for early hires and policy guidance for the incoming administration. Transition 2025
Immigration fight shapes the pick
The hire comes as Mamdani has moved to reaffirm the city’s sanctuary status and launch a multilingual "Know Your Rights" campaign aimed at immigrant New Yorkers, and as he met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to talk about how cities can respond to federal immigration enforcement and protect residents. Patch
What to watch
If confirmed, Ali’s mix of inside-government experience and organizing roots would fit Mamdani’s early pattern of tapping progressive advocates and long-time community organizers for top agency jobs. Observers watching the new administration say the first wave of appointments points to a focus on community outreach and legal protections for immigrants. City & State
NY1 reported that, as of its initial story, City Hall had not yet posted a formal announcement identifying a start date for the role.
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