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This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here.

If President Donald Trump makes good on his threats, Zohran Mamdani may become the first New York City mayor forced to navigate an uninvited federal deployment of the National Guard. Last month, Trump insinuated that he’d send troops to “clean up” the country’s biggest city if Mamdani won the election, as he did decisively Tuesday night. Trump administration officials have also threatened to ramp up immigration enforcement raids in the city.

On the campaign trail, Mamdani, whose campaign did not respond to questions for this article, argued that he was the candidate who would staunchly defend the five boroughs from federal law enforcement. In his victory speech on Tuesday night, he welcomed a confrontation with the president.

“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” he said. “New York will remain a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants. And as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this. To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”

The rhetoric matched his vow during the last mayoral debate to fight Trump “every step of the way” on immigration raids by federal law enforcement. Mamdani has also praised litigation that has limited the deployment of National Guard troops in other cities and touted a “coalition” between himself, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Attorney General Letitia James “that would be on the front lines of fighting Donald Trump.”

There are relatively few precedents in United States history for Trump’s deployments of the National Guard to cities that have seen protests against his immigration policies. Critics are concerned that sending military troops — trained to fight overseas — to respond to domestic opponents of the president could suppress dissent and stoke fear among immigrant communities.

The mayor’s formal power to constrain federal troops and agents is limited: Experts and officials say that state-level action above City Hall and........

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