NYPD Denies Security Detail for Mayor’s Wife During Middle East Trip

The New York Police Department (NYPD) will not provide a security detail for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, during her upcoming trip to Syria and Lebanon. The mayor’s office had claimed otherwise, but the NYPD emphasized that they do not send officers to countries with level 4 travel advisories for personal travel purposes.

Duwaji plans to visit family in September. Both Syria and Lebanon are on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list due to terrorism concerns. Despite prior statements from the mayor’s office confirming an NYPD security detail, the law enforcement agency later denied this arrangement.

A spokesperson for the NYPD clarified, “Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the first lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” according to Mamdani’s spokeswoman Dora Pekec. However, the mayor later cited a “miscommunication” by staff when addressing questions from press outlet PIX11.

NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) President Scott Munro criticized the idea of sending detectives to the Middle East. “Our detectives put themselves in harm’s way every day protecting New Yorkers,” he said. “The DEA would never remain silent if our members were asked to travel to a dangerous, off-limits foreign country for anything other than a legitimate law-enforcement or intelligence operation.” Munro also noted that the detectives are needed in New York City to protect residents and combat crime.

Mayor Mamdani has a documented history of criticizing the NYPD, despite initially suggesting they would provide security for his wife. He has previously called for defunding the department, describing it as “wicked & corrupt” in a viral 2020 post on X.

During his campaign for mayor, Mamdani stated he did not want to defund the police, contrary to his earlier statements. Recently, he faced criticism for using derogatory language against the NYPD and linking it to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during a panel discussion.

The relationship between Mamdani and the NYPD appears strained. Last week, Mamdani was booed off the stage at a pro-police event in Staten Island.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.