Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s alliance with parts of New York’s socialist left is cracking in public, with his City Hall team reportedly furious over calls to oust NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The uproar centers on Darializa Avila Chevalier, a House candidate Mamdani endorsed only months ago during the primaries as reported [1] by The New York Post.
City Hall staffers have been complaining about Chevalier after she attacked Tisch following the shooting of an illegal migrant by ICE agents in the Bronx. One source said officials were angry about her social media activity and public rhetoric concerning the NYPD.
Another source said people in the administration viewed Chevalier’s campaign as a betrayal, complaining that “this was a direct undermining of Mamdani.” The confrontation has exposed growing dysfunction among Mamdani, local socialist politicians and the Democratic Socialists of America.
Chevalier launched her attack after immigration officials shot a suspected gang member as he fled arrest in a car. She accused Tisch and the NYPD of violating New York City’s sanctuary policies, which prohibit local police officers from helping ICE with immigration enforcement.
“Last night, the NYPD and Commissioner Tisch violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our sanctuary city policies and fueled the Trump Administration’s attempt to demonize our communities,” Chevalier wrote in a social media post running nearly 400 words.
Darializa Avila Chevalier calls for NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to step down
“Last night, the NYPD and Commissioner Tisch violated the spirit, if not the letter, of our sanctuary city policies and fueled the Trump Administration’s attempt to demonize our communities.
The NYPD’s Strategic Response Group must be disbanded as quickly as possible, and Commissioner Tisch must step down.”
— Popstonox (@Popstonox) October 9, 2026 [3]
Chevalier then demanded sweeping changes at the department. “The NYPD’s Strategic Response Group must be disbanded as quickly as possible, and Commissioner Tisch must step down,” she continued.
The NYPD did not help ICE conduct the immigration arrest, according to the source account. The Strategic Response Group also did not respond to the demonstration, despite Chevalier’s accusations against the specialized police unit.
City Hall officials were also annoyed that Chevalier encouraged protests against ICE, sources said. They worried that visible disorder could give the Trump administration a reason to flood the city’s streets.
Chevalier also complained about being pushed during an aggressive protest in Marble Hill on Thursday night. Video captured her confronting a calm police supervisor and accusing him of escalating the situation.
“She is throwing her own fireball rhetoric to rally the folks,” one source said. The source added, “But instigating doesn’t help.”
The demands created a political headache for Mamdani, who appointed Tisch and has continued standing by her. During his campaign, however, Mamdani promised to dissolve the Strategic Response Group.
Mamdani avoided the city’s press corps for days as socialist allies and the national DSA chapter demanded that he remove Tisch and fulfill his campaign pledge concerning the police unit. The pressure turned what began as a policing dispute into an open fight inside his political coalition.
DSA member and state Senate candidate Illapa Sairitupac, another politician endorsed by Mamdani, joined Chevalier’s campaign against Tisch. “Abolish ICE, disband the SRG, fire Tisch,” Sairitupac wrote.
https://t.co/VXp49djWU7
— Illapa 易雅博 (@illapaNYC) October 9, 2026 [4]
The New York City DSA chapter, whose leaders are close friends of the mayor, adopted a somewhat softer position. “If the Commissioner can’t put a stop to these injustices, she must be fired,” the organization wrote after demanding that Tisch confront ICE and end alleged NYPD complicity.
Neither Brad Lander nor Claire Valdez, the other two House candidates endorsed by Mamdani, issued similar demands. Chevalier, however, does not plan to ease the pressure, according to insiders.
Chevalier and her team are preparing a speech that could be delivered on Election Night or earlier, sources said. The speech would again call for Tisch to be fired, ensuring that the socialist feud remains very much alive.
Sources said adviser Morris Katz persuaded the mayor to endorse Chevalier, but Mamdani is not a fan of the congressional candidate. Chevalier, meanwhile, is distancing herself from the mayor despite his backing and campaign work being widely credited with helping her win.
Chevalier defeated incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional primary in June. The district is overwhelmingly Democratic, and securing the party’s nomination all but guarantees her victory in the general election next month.
Campaign canvassers are now under strict orders not to discuss Mamdani, according to sources. “I can’t speak about the mayor, but I can tell you what Darializa is prioritizing,” volunteers have been instructed to say.
Sources said City Hall had already viewed Chevalier as a potential political liability, though officials did not expect trouble this quickly. “She’s a loose cannon,” one insider said, adding, “They are sick of her, and she’s not even started in Congress.”