NYPD Denies Security for Mayor's Wife's Syria Trip

The New York Police Department has confirmed it will not deploy officers to Syria and Lebanon to provide security for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, during a planned personal trip, contradicting an earlier statement from City Hall. The decision, announced on August 12, 2026, followed a public dispute over the use of taxpayer-funded police resources for a family visit to countries under a U.S. State Department "Do Not Travel" advisory.

The controversy began when a spokesperson for Mayor Mamdani stated that Duwaji would be accompanied by an NYPD security detail for her trip, scheduled to begin September 20. The spokesperson said the arrangement was made "upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD." However, the police department swiftly denied this, issuing a statement that it does not send officers to countries with Level 4 travel advisories for discretionary, non-investigative reasons. "This is not an investigative trip, and therefore, NYPD personnel will not be traveling there for it," an NYPD spokesperson said.

Mayor Mamdani later attributed the conflicting statements to a "miscommunication" within his staff. He confirmed that when his wife takes the trip, it will...