New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing new criticism from a storied ethnic group that helped build the Big Apple.
And members of the group don’t appear to be in any mood to embrace the mayor anytime soon.
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An Italian American advocacy organization is shredding Mamdani after Little Italy was omitted from a city neighborhood map created as part of a tourism campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The map, titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves,” was developed by New York City Tourism + Conventions for its NYC Neighborhood Passport campaign and has been promoted by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs at events across the city.
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The guide encourages visitors to explore 30 immigrant neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Little Palestine and Little Haiti, but does not include Little Italy.
The Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) accused the city of overlooking the historic neighborhood and criticized the omission in a statement posted on social media.
“Zohran Mamdani wants to ERASE Italian Americans. First, he denied our permit for Unity Day 2026. Now, he is excluding Little Italy as a recognized location all together on the map,” wrote the Italian American Civil Rights League (IACRL) on X along with a press release.
“Italian Americans BUILT NEW YORK CITY. Not third world Ugandans, We stand AGAINST COMMUNISTS,” the group added.
IACRL President Mike Crispi said Little Italy represents an important part of New York City’s immigrant history and argued that the neighborhood deserved recognition in a campaign highlighting the city’s diverse cultural communities.
According to the Library of Congress, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1924, with roughly one-third settling in New York City, making Italians the city’s largest immigrant community during the early 20th century.
The tourism map also does not identify neighborhoods associated with Irish American or Jewish communities.
Mamdani has advocated for sanctuary city policies and expanded protections for immigrants but, obviously, not all immigrants.
He’s also a big advocate for Palestinian rights over those of American Jews.
“Mamdani’s City Hall can find room for every fashionable progressive constituency, but somehow it cannot find Little Italy,” Crispi said in the press release.
“Our culture is good enough for their photo ops, our food is good enough for their fundraisers, and our neighborhoods are good enough for tourism dollars — but when it comes time to recognize Italian Americans, they erase us,” he added.
“Little Italy is sacred ground. It is where Italian immigrants came with nothing, worked like hell, opened shops, raised families, built churches, fed the city, and helped make New York what it is,” said Crispi.
The dispute is not the first time Mamdani has drawn criticism from Italian American organizations.
In 2020, he posted a photo on X showing himself raising his middle finger toward a statue of Christopher Columbus in Queens, a gesture that prompted backlash from some Italian American leaders and advocacy groups.
Vice President JD Vance traveled to New York City over Independence Day and gave speech that was worthy of praise.
It followed one the previous day by Mamdani, and the contrast couldn’t be more stark.
While Mamdani used the occasion – sitting behind George Washington’s desk – to trash the country that took him in and has given him so much, Vance’s speech focused on all the good that America has done for its citizens and for the world.
“We celebrate 250 years of America facing the future without fear. We celebrate 250 years of proving what a free people can achieve by the providence of our almighty Creator,” he said.
Vance went on to urge the country to unite on America’s 250th birthday and remember exactly why and how it was founded.
“We are a people formed by generations of self-governance and personal industry. We are formed by Frontier Assembly Hall and Congregation, by River Valley and Prairie and Factory Floor,” Vance shared.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
