A Department of Justice civil rights official has warned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration about discriminating against white people.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon issued the warning after Mamdani appointed far-left activist Cea Weaver as the city’s new “tenant advocate,” a move that has reignited concerns that the new administration’s housing agenda is driven more by ideology than equal protection under the law.
Dhillon put City Hall “on notice” after the resurfacing of an old video in which Weaver argued that America must move away from treating property as an individual right and instead shift toward viewing property as a “collective good,” embracing “shared equity.”
In the clip, Weaver said this transition would require families — “especially white families” — to have a “different relationship to property” than the one they currently have.
That rhetoric set off alarms across social media and among legal watchdogs who say such language can signal discriminatory intent in policy-making.
Dhillon responded directly on X, stressing that discrimination based on race is illegal regardless of who is targeted.
“New York: Consider this your official notice from @TheJusticeDept,” Dhillon wrote, adding, “We will NOT tolerate discrimination based on skin color. It is ILLEGAL.” She also noted the Civil Rights Division is “paying very close attention.”
Dhillon amplified the warning during an interview on OANN’s “Fine Point with Chanel Rion,” arguing that equal rights apply to all Americans and that the DOJ will intervene if New York City violates federal civil rights law, the Washington Examiner reported.
“Just because you’re white doesn’t mean you have fewer rights in this country,” she said, adding the administration is “on high scrutiny.”