New York Police Reject Security Detail for Mayor’s Wife’s Trip to Syria and Lebanon

Rama Dawaji, wife of New York City Mayor Zoharan Mamdani, plans to travel to Lebanon and Syria on September 20 for a private family visit. Both countries are currently under the highest Level 4 travel advisory by the U.S. State Department, warning against travel. Dawaji, 29, reportedly requested police security for the trip following a previous unescorted foreign trip last month.

The Mayor’s office claimed that the New York Police Department (NYPD) recommended a security detail accompany Dawaji, but the NYPD firmly denied this, stating they do not send officers on personal trips to countries with Level 4 travel warnings. A police spokesperson emphasized that no officers would be assigned to non-official investigative travel.

This public dispute between the Mayor’s office and the NYPD arises amid the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, a period when police resources are already stretched thin. The tension is further heightened by Mayor Mamdani’s recent call for New Yorkers to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the UN gathering. The Mayor’s office has yet to clarify the conflicting statements regarding the security arrangements for Dawaji’s trip.