Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon. I am glad to be standing alongside Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership as we share our plans to ensure that the upcoming United Nations General Assembly is safe and secure.
I would like to thank Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of the Secret Service, and Nicholas Fanelli, special agent in charge of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, for joining us today as well as for all of their work toward this same endeavor.
In the coming days, thousands of global heads of state, diplomats, advocates and civil society representatives will arrive here in New York City. They will convene, debate and negotiate at the United Nations Headquarters along the East River. Foreign representatives from across the world will embark upon the challenging, but always worthwhile, pursuit of international cooperation.
What an honor it is for New York City, a city that so proudly reflects the world through the languages we speak, the food we eat and the people who call it home, to serve as the backdrop of this work. And yet, we know that New York City is always a target, and especially so when thousands of international representatives are present.
That is why City Hall and the NYPD have been working closely with our federal partners for the past few months to prepare for this event and to ensure the safety and security of foreign visitors, of New Yorkers and of our city. I would like to take this opportunity to share the details of some of those preparations.
First, the U.S. Secret Service and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service will work with the NYPD to protect foreign dignitaries. They will remain in communication with the NYPD throughout the General Assembly.
I want to be clear: There are no known specific or credible threats against the United Nations General Assembly or our city at this time. However, our security posture will be elevated out of an abundance of caution. This is standard procedure.
New Yorkers can expect to see a visible increase in officers deployed across our city, as well as a heightened police presence surrounding the United Nations building. New Yorkers on the East Side of Manhattan should expect to see a whole-of-department response, with NYPD assets deployed on the ground, in the air and on our waterways.
I know that for many New Yorkers, the General Assembly is more synonymous with questions around traffic. When the world visits New York City, our streets are inevitably impacted. New York City DOT has issued a gridlock alert beginning on Sept. 21 and ending on Sept. 25.
There will be rolling pedestrian and vehicle closures both surrounding the UN building and across the city as delegations travel. At certain times, portions of the FDR will be closed. New Yorkers can also expect disruptions to ferry service during this period of time.
I want to encourage everyone traveling in Manhattan to use public transportation wherever possible and to allow for extra travel time. And I want to thank New Yorkers in advance for their patience. For additional updates on this event, I encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692. Both the NYPD and NYCEM will also be sharing real-time changes via their social media accounts.
Our city has hosted the U.N. General Assembly many times before, and we have been able to do so thanks to the dedication and hard work of the NYPD and thousands of city workers. I want to thank in advance every member of the NYPD, every single person who has devoted themselves to protecting their fellow New Yorkers, and every city worker who is working to make this event a success. Now, I would like to hand things over to Commissioner Tisch to provide New Yorkers further specifics of our plans.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, and good afternoon. Over the next week, representatives from nearly 200 countries will gather in New York City for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, and it is all made possible by the men and women of the New York City Police Department.
The NYPD will be responsible for securing the United Nations headquarters and the surrounding area, protecting delegations and dignitaries as they travel throughout the city, and providing security for the many meetings, receptions and other events taking place around the General Assembly.
And we'll be doing all of that alongside our partners in the U.S. Secret Service, as well as the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI, U.N. Police, and our other federal, state and local partners. At this time, as the mayor said, there are no known specific credible threats to the city this year as the General Assembly. But the NYPD is fully prepared and will remain vigilant.
The main high-level general debate will start on Sept. 22 and run through the 28th, and the week begins with a surge of arrivals into the city on Sunday, the 20th. Throughout the week, our officers will secure hundreds of motorcades as heads of state, foreign ministers and other senior officials move between the U.N., hotels, meetings and events across New York City.
We will also deploy resources to those venues throughout the city, while working especially closely with the Secret Service to support protection for the president of the United States and other heads of state. This is one of the most complex security operations that we carry out, and it involves every aspect of our department.
Thousands of uniformed NYPD officers will be posted at and around U.N. headquarters all week, supported by heavy weapons teams, our aviation and harbor units, K-9, the bomb squad, NYPD's drone team, counterterrorism officers and other specialized units.
As always, there will be security measures that you will see and others that you will not see, and please note a temporary flight restriction will be in effect from Sept. 20 through the 26th within a 2-nautical-mile radius of the U.N.
This restriction includes all unauthorized drones. And the NYPD's Counter-Drone teams will be deployed throughout the week to mitigate any drones that violate the flight restrictions. Every year, we see an uptick in demonstrations and protests coinciding with the U.N. General Assembly. This year is no different. As always, the NYPD will facilitate First Amendment activity. At the same time, there will be no tolerance for violence or destruction of property.
Here are the logistics impacting the area from Sept. 20 through the 26th, that's the area near the U.N. First Avenue will be closed from 41st Street to 48th Street, and 44th Street up to 47th Street will be closed from First Avenue to Second Avenue daily for the duration of the assembly.
And each day, while the meeting is in session until around 9 p.m., 42nd Street will close from First to Second Avenue, and the 42nd Street exit from the FDR will be blocked off.
Passenger vehicles and bicycles may use the First Avenue Tunnel to travel north through the area, and vehicles requiring access to Tudor City can enter via 41st and 43rd streets. And New Yorkers should be aware that there will be rolling and intermittent street closures as delegations move between venues.
So, with all the motorcades, the security checkpoints, street closures, other travel restrictions that will be in effect, I want to remind everyone, as the mayor did, that public transportation is the fastest and the safest way to move around the city, especially if you plan to be anywhere near the U.N. building.
And we ask every New Yorker across all boroughs to please stay vigilant. If you see something suspicious or something that doesn't feel right, don't keep it to yourself. Find an officer, call 911 or call our counterterrorism hotline at 1-888-NYC-SAFE.
No one handles security operations to the scope and scale better than the New York City Police Department. We constantly plan and prepare. We closely monitor any and all activity that could affect our city, and we leave no stone unturned when it comes to the safety of New Yorkers.
In just the last three months, our officers have secured the FIFA World Cup, our nation's largest 250th celebrations, the NBA Finals, the Knicks Championship Parade, the U.S. Open Tournament, the 25th Commemoration of 9/11 and so much more.
It's the dedication, professionalism and resolve of the men and women in the NYPD that have made all of that possible. And the world will see that again at next week's U.N. General Assembly. Now I'm going to turn it over to the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's New York Field Office, our partner, Matt.
Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service: Thank you, Commissioner Tisch. Thank you, mayor. Good morning. I'm Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service New York Office.
Next week, New York City will again be at the center of the world stage during the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The U.N. General Assembly, the largest annual gathering globally, nearly 200 heads of states, heads of governments and their spouses will be in Manhattan, representing roughly three-quarters of United Nations membership.
While this is a massive undertaking, the City of New York is no stranger to playing host to the world's most significant events. For the past several months, the Secret Service has worked side by side with our federal, state and local partners to develop and implement a comprehensive security plan specific to this event.
As authorized by the secretary of Homeland Security, the designation of a National Special Security Event, or NSSE, enables a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to security. It brings together people, resources and expertise needed to protect our leaders, the City of New York and the public.
The U.S. Secret Service is the leading agency for coordinating and implementing the overall security plan. However, an operation of this scale is a total team effort. Our success depends on the extraordinary commitment of our partners.
First, the New York City Police Department. The NYPD is indispensable to this mission. Commissioner Tisch and the men and women of the NYPD bring unmatched experience, resources and knowledge to this effort. And we are deeply grateful for their partnership.
We also work closely with many critical local and regional partners, including the Port Authority Police Department, New York City Emergency Management, the FDNY and many others who will help keep the city moving and safe during one of the most complex security events of the year.
I also want to especially thank Homeland Security Investigations for contributing substantial personnel and resources to support this effort, along with our other federal partners, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of War, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Diplomatic Security Service.
These are just some of the 20-plus agencies supporting this event, each bringing distinct capabilities to the mission. Together, we are focused on one shared goal: ensuring the highest level of safety and security for our protectees, delegations, visitors and everyone who lives and works in New York City.
As the General Assembly ramps up, the public will see an increased law enforcement and security presence in and around Manhattan. The presence is intentional, coordinated and designed to support a safe and secure event.
An operation of this size will create traffic delays, street closures and other disruptions near the United Nations complex, Midtown and the Upper East Side. New York City does not stop because the General Assembly is in session, and we do not take that lightly. We appreciate the public's patience and cooperation throughout the week.
There will also be temporary flight restrictions throughout New York City, as the commissioner mentioned. Those restrictions also apply to drones. Do not fly a drone in the restricted airspace without authorization. Violations may result in investigation, seizure of the drones or criminal charges.
At the same time, members of the public will see authorized Secret Service and NYPD drones operating in restricted airspace as part of the coordinated security plan. There will also be waterway restrictions along portions of the East River adjacent to the United Nations. Those restrictions will be enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard and the NYPD Harbor Patrol.
Public safety is a shared responsibility. The best security plan includes not only law enforcement and public safety agencies, but also the awareness, cooperation of the people who live, work and travel through the city every day. If you see something, say something. You know your city and your neighborhood best. Please do not hesitate to notify law enforcement if you see something suspicious.
On behalf of the Secret Service, I want to thank our partners and the people of New York City for their continued cooperation and support as New York once again plays host to the United Nations General Assembly.
Thank you. I would now like to introduce Nicholas Fanelli, special agent in charge of the Diplomatic Security Service.
Nicholas Fanelli, Special Agent in Charge, Diplomatic Security Service New York Field Office: Good morning. My name is Nick [Fanelli], and I'm the special agent in charge of the Diplomatic Security Service New York Field Office. DSS is the law enforcement and security bureau of the U.S. Department of State and is responsible for protecting the U.S. secretary of state, the U.S. representatives to the United Nations and dozens of visiting foreign dignitaries.
Before I begin, I would like to thank Mayor Mamdani; Commissioner Tisch of the New York City Police Department; Special Agent-in-Charge McCool of U.S. Secret Service; and Under-Secretary-General Hennis-Plasschaert of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security; and all of our city, state and federal partners. Your unwavering support is fundamental to the success of our mission, and we greatly appreciate it.
The annual gathering of the UN General Assembly in New York celebrates the power of diplomacy and international cooperation, often described as the global town hall. It brings diplomats of the world leaders together to address some of the greatest challenges confronting the world.
It is also a significant national security event and DSS's largest annual protection mission, requiring months of planning and close coordination among law enforcement, security personnel and emergency first responders, as you have heard.
This year, more than 600 DSS special agents, augmented by approximately 100 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the U.S. Marshals Service; along with hundreds of technical, administrative and logistics support personnel, will protect more than 50 foreign ministers and other global dignitaries.
As in previous years, we welcome the opportunity to work alongside our interagency law enforcement and security and emergency response partners to provide the highest level of protection during the United Nations General Assembly.
Together, our mission is to ensure the safety and security of all personnel, facilities and operations while protecting the American people and advancing U.S. interests here in New York and around the world. Thank you very much for your time.
Question: Commissioner, from Televisa Univision, New York did very well when it came to the World Cup. As far as security, but that was a different sort of event. It was an event that united people of the United Nations, a very different tone. Perpetrators might want to send a message. What would be your biggest concern right now? Drones, would it be land? Biological warfare? I don't know, we're talking about AI lately, what would you say is your biggest concern right now? What would be your message to New Yorkers?
Commissioner Tisch: Yeah, I think that we just spent a lot of time laying out everything that the New York City Police Department does and is doing, particularly next week, to secure what is the largest event of the year, the United Nations General Assembly. You will see a full deployment of New York City police officers and all of our specialty teams. And that deployment is designed to keep New Yorkers safe, but also to address any threats that we might see.
My message to New Yorkers is please remain vigilant, not just next week, but always. If you see something, say something, tell a police officer, call 911 or call our counterterrorism hotline at 1-888-NYC-SAFE.
Question: My question for the mayor is similar. You've asked New Yorkers to be patient a lot of times this year, you asked them to be patient to close fifth avenue, sixth avenue for the World Cup, etc. [Inaudible] you've correctly pointed out to many of them it's traffic [inaudible]. Many New Yorkers we've spoken to wonder, why is it worth it? Why is the UN General Assembly paying for them worth it? What would you say?
Mayor Mamdani: We're proud to be the host of the United Nations General Assembly, and we're proud because what this event represents is also a recognition of the fact that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. We are having countries from across the world come here, and I think as you've heard it from many who've come to this podium today, it is in the hopes and the spirit of international cooperation.
Now, my job as the mayor is to ensure that the impact to New Yorkers is as minimal as possible in terms of their ability to go from point A to point B, and we will never be satisfied with what we are delivering. We'll always look to make it a little bit easier each and every day.
Today, I come to you on the day we've filled in our 200,000th pothole. So, it's making sure the streets are smoother, people can move across them, and I think to what both I and the commissioner have also is that people - encouraging people to use mass transit in this time. Because it is going to be serious gridlock over the course of those days.
Question: Mayor Mamdani, this question is for you. So, ahead of the planned protests next week, has anybody from the NYPD asked you to maybe cool down your rhetoric when it comes to Israel or Netanyahu?
Mayor Mamdani: The conversations that I've had with the PD have been purely on standard preparations for this event, as well as standard preparations for keeping New Yorkers safe. And I am fully confident in our police department's ability to do so, and I'm fully confident in their ability to do so each and every day, even outside of the General Assembly.
Question: As a follow-up, maybe, so private students [inaudible] going to land in Newark, apparently not at JFK, is that a security decision or should we read something into that? And then secondly, does the presence of the prime minister, President Trump and the President of Iran, all within the same couple of days, how does that add to the complexity or perhaps [inaudible]?
Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner, Intelligence & Counterterrorism, NYPD: So, each movement of each head of state or foreign minister or dignitary is coordinated based on logistics, and you shouldn't read anything into any particular movement at all except that these are all collective decisions to maximize security for everyone.
And also remember, 200 dignitaries from 200 countries coming here, moving around the city presents a big coordination challenge. Every year for the last 81 years, there have been geopolitical hotspots whose governments have come to New York City, presenting just that sort of issue. So, this is no different.
Last year was the 80-year anniversary, and there was a lot of turmoil around the world. The whole point of the UN is to try to work through that diplomatically, and as you've heard from our commissioner and from my colleagues here, as well as the mayor, we do that to keep people safe, no matter who you are, visitor or resident, no matter what sort of instability is happening around the world. In New York, you come, you talk about it and you move around the city safely, and we keep the city resident safe as well.
Question: I wanted to ask you about the demonstrations, specifically when Prime Minister Netanyahu is here. Can you speak about what that day will look like in terms of protests, what -if you need to make contact with some of those organizations, [inaudible]. And on the flip side, in terms of [inaudible], with those demonstrations, how much of a challenge does that present when you have [inaudible]?
Police Commissioner Tisch: So, the NYPD, as you know, handles thousands of protests and demonstrations each year, and there is no organization better trained to facilitate First Amendment activity. As I mentioned in my prepared remarks, obviously every year around the UN General Assembly time we do see an uptick in the amount of protest activity. And this year, I do not expect to be any different.
So, the NYPD is prepared to work with organizers of protests and facilitate First Amendment activity. And as always, we have no tolerance for violence or destruction of property or breaking the law.
Question: I wanted to follow up on the idea of the demonstrations. I wonder if, first of all, any of these organizations that are planning demonstrations have had to get permits from the NYPD, and also are there going to be demonstration areas that they will be limited to so that they will not be able to get directly near the UN or directly near the Israeli embassy or directly near Gracie Mansion, where tomorrow there is going to be-
Police Commissioner Tisch: So yes, we work very closely with organizations that facilitate protests, both on permitting, on logistics. Most of that work is done through our Community Affairs Bureau, which is actually the people who are on site often first, with those groups helping to facilitate First Amendment activity.
As I mentioned in my remarks, there will be frozen zones, as there are every year, where vehicles cannot access and pedestrians cannot access, but we are not planning anything for this year that is out of the ordinary, i.e., different in terms of those frozen zones than what we've done in years past.
Question: Is there any estimates to how many groups have asked for permits?
Police Commissioner Tisch: Do we have the number? Marcia, we can get that to you, how many have asked so far?
Question: Are you expecting protests like every day, is one day-
Police Commissioner Tisch: Yes, we're definitely expecting protests every day. I can tell you we're expecting multiple protests every day, and we will get you the number of permits and organizations that we've worked with so far.
Question: I'm wondering if next week you plan on meeting with President Trump, [inaudible], or any foreign dignitaries while they're here for the general assembly?
Mayor Mamdani: I will have a few meetings that we're in the process of setting up at this time that we'll share more details about soon.
When it comes to the president, we continue to have a conversation about how best to deliver for the city, and that is a conversation that has been done in person, it's been done over the phone, and it will continue so long as either of us have the ability to deliver for this city. Thank you.
