New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office confirmed on Tuesday that his wife, Rama Duwaji, would not receive a New York City Police Department (NYPD) security detail during her planned travel to Syria and Lebanon in September.
The NYPD stated it does not provide overseas security details for discretionary personal travel, particularly to countries with U.S. State Department Level 4 travel advisories, which both Syria and Lebanon currently hold due to terrorism concerns. A spokesperson for the NYPD told Fox News: 'The NYPD does not send officers to countries with level 4 travel advisories for discretionary reasons such as personal travel.'
The confusion arose after a Mamdani spokesperson initially told the New York Post that 'upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the First Lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon.' The NYPD later denied making such a recommendation, calling the claim inaccurate.
Mayor Mamdani’s office attributes the discrepancy to a staff miscommunication. When asked about the conflicting reports by PIX11, a spokesperson stated the confusion stemmed from an internal error. The mayor’s team had previously confirmed the security detail was arranged, but the NYPD’s position remained unchanged.
The NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) criticized the implication that officers would be deployed to the Middle East for personal travel. Scott Munro, DEA President, stated: 'Our detectives put themselves in harm’s way every day protecting New Yorkers. The DEA would never remain silent if our members were asked to travel to a dangerous, off-limits foreign country for anything other than a legitimate law-enforcement or intelligence operation.'
Both Syria and Lebanon are designated Level 4: Do Not Travel by the U.S. State Department, citing terrorism risks and armed conflict. Duwaji’s travel plans were first reported by the New York Post, which noted she intended to visit family in the region. The NYPD’s policy aligns with standard security protocols, which typically restrict overseas deployments to official law enforcement or intelligence missions.