Gov. Hochul pushes back on Mayor-elect Mamdani's call to end homeless encampment sweeps

Lucy Yang

Sun, December 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM UTC

2 min read

Governor Kathy Hochul pushed back on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's call for an end to homeless encampment sweeps.

This comes as advocates call on the incoming administration to go a step further to provide New Yorkers with affordable mass transit.

Zohran Mamdani has less than a month before taking over the nation's largest city and all the problems that come with governance.

The immigration crisis hit front and center in Chinatown recently when ICE agents and police squared off against protestors.

As federal officials try to remove undocumented immigrants, Sunday, Mayor Elect Zohran Mamdani posted on X,

Homeless encampments also hit the headlines when Mamdani said he does not believe sweeping them away is the answer.

"If you're not connecting people to housing...if you're not connecting them to housing they need, then you cannot deem anything you're doing to be a success," said Mamdani.

Mamdani's progressive comments triggered immediate reactions.

Outgoing mayor Eric Adams argued on Up Close that you cannot let these encampments take over city streets and subways

"We stated it was inhumane for people to live on the streets, human waste, drug paraphernalia, schizophrenic, bipolar, living on our subways, living in our streets. We said, no, you deserve to be inside," said Adams.

Governor Kathy Hochul also pushed for sweeps coupled with housing and much needed help for society's most troubled population.

A spokesperson for the governor said Sunday, "The governor does not believe that allowing New Yorkers to sleep on sidewalks or under bridges is a humane solution to homelessness. She supports an approach that combines enforcement - including sweeps when needed - with connection to supportive housing and mental health and substance abuse services."

There is also Mamdani's campaign promise for free MTA buses. The Governor has already put the brakes on his expensive idea, but transportation advocates continue pressing to make it a reality.

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