Staten Island residents are openly discussing breaking away from New York City after the inauguration of socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, reigniting a long-simmering secession movement in the city’s most conservative borough.
The backlash intensified after Mamdani visited Staten Island days after taking office.
This trip did little to calm fears among locals who overwhelmingly rejected his campaign and his far-left agenda.
Staten Island remains a deep-red enclave in a city dominated by progressive politics, and many residents see Mamdani’s election as the final straw.
Borough President Vito Fossella confirmed that conversations about secession are no longer fringe talk. He said dissatisfaction has grown rapidly since Mamdani’s victory, driven by ideological opposition and concern over sweeping citywide policies that residents believe will damage public safety, economic stability, and local autonomy.
Fossella said most Staten Islanders reject socialism outright, calling it historically destructive and incompatible with freedom and prosperity.
He warned that policies being floated by the new administration could erode the quality of life and further marginalize the borough within the five-borough system.
Mamdani ran on a platform that included raising the minimum wage to $30 by 2030, increasing corporate taxes, creating city-run grocery stores, making buses fare-free, and freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments.
While those proposals energized progressives elsewhere in the city, they landed with hostility in Staten Island, where voters largely supported President Donald Trump and conservative candidates.
This is not the first time Staten Island has explored independence, as the Daily Mail reported.
In the early 1990s, voters approved a nonbinding referendum to secede by a wide margin. That effort ultimately stalled in Albany, where state lawmakers refused to advance the measure.
Fossella said memories of that period still resonate, particularly resentment over the Fresh Kills landfill, which once handled nearly all of New York City’s garbage despite the borough representing a small fraction of the population.
Although no formal petition is currently circulating, borough officials commissioned a feasibility study in 2023, signaling that the issue has not gone away.
Fossella said the current discussions are serious and not a political stunt, though he acknowledged that secession would face major legal and political hurdles at the state level.
If Staten Island became its own city, it would have nearly 500,000 residents, making it larger than cities like Miami or Cleveland.
Fossella argued that an independent Staten Island could chart a very different path than New York City, particularly on spending, policing, and homelessness.
He pointed to the city’s handling of the migrant crisis as an example of what Staten Islanders want to avoid, noting that New York City spent billions housing migrants in hotels.
Fossella said an independent Staten Island would never make such decisions.
Mamdani attempted to strike a conciliatory tone during his visit, insisting that Staten Island would be a priority for his administration and arguing that residents would benefit from his policies. He acknowledged his lack of electoral support in the borough but said he intended to win over skeptics.
Despite those assurances, resistance appears to be growing. Local lawmakers have staged rallies, and some residents are openly calling for renewed action toward independence.
For now, Staten Island remains part of New York City. But with a socialist mayor in City Hall and ideological tensions deepening, the idea of secession is no longer dormant. It is back on the table, and many in the borough are watching closely to see whether talk turns into action.
