To our delight, the New York Police Department on Aug. 13 refused to provide an overseas security detail for NYC First Lady Rama Duwaji during her upcoming personal trip to Syria and Lebanon, citing agency policy against deploying officers to Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory zones for discretionary personal travel. 

Duwaji, wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, planned a September trip to visit family in Syria and Lebanon.

Both countries hold Level 4 travel advisories from the U.S. State Department because of active conflict, civil unrest and security risks. 

City Hall initially claimed through a spokesperson that an NYPD security detail would join Duwaji based on a “strong recommendation” from the police department. 

However, the NYPD publicly refuted City Hall’s statement, clarifying that officers do not travel to Level 4 destinations for non-investigative, personal reasons. 

The Detectives’ Endowment Association strongly criticized the notion of deploying city detectives overseas for a private vacation. 

Mayor Mamdani later attributed the conflicting statements to a staff “miscommunication.”

City Hall confirmed that Duwaji will travel to the Middle East without an NYPD police escort.

In our view, Duwaji can afford her own security – and not endanger the lives of NYC officers, whom she and the mayor clearly despise. Indeed, the only reason to send someone with her would be to see which terrorists she’s meeting with and, ultimately, who they want to eliminate. Again, let’s let her pay for her own security.

As terrorist sympathizers, anti-law enforcement (and public safety) advocates and vehement antisemites, these people — the mayor and the first lady — are total hypocrites and dangerous. Their level of audacity.... is astounding. 

Instead, we say: Send them both there — then leave them there!