New York City, the heartbeat of America, has just witnessed a seismic shift that should send a wakeup call to everyone in America. Last night, Zohran Mamdani, a foreign-born Muslim cultural Marxist, clinched the Democratic primary for mayor, setting the stage for what could be a radical transformation of the city we once knew.

The city that stood resilient after the horrors of 9/11 is now on the cusp of electing a mayor whose ideology and background stand in stark contrast to the values that once defined it. Make no mistake: this moment was engineered by decades of unchecked mass immigration.

Let’s cut through the noise: Mamdani’s victory isn’t about one man’s charisma or campaign strategy. It’s the culmination of a demographic tidal wave that has reshaped New York City into what I’ve called “New New York.” 

Since the 1980s, immigration from the Middle East and South Asia has tripled, and the numbers don’t lie. In this primary, these communities backed Mamdani by an overwhelming 80-20 margin according to Emerson. Old New York—the city of blue-collar workers, Italian delis, and Irish pubs—is now a minority in its own home. The cultural and political fabric that held this city together has been frayed by policies that prioritized open borders over assimilation.

I’m not here to mince words. Mamdani’s platform is a laundry list of far-left pipe dreams—free buses, rent freezes, city-run grocery stores. Gen Z in NYC loves this, and voted for Mamdani in droves. But it’s not just his communism that’s alarming. He wants NYC to become the next London. He has called to Defund the Police. He refused to condemn Hamas after 10/7.  

This is a man who has leaned into his identity as a “progressive Muslim immigrant,” framing himself as Donald Trump’s “worst nightmare.” And yet, the real nightmare is what his victory signals: a city where radical ideologies can take root because mass immigration and its consequences has tilted the electorate.

Some will cry “bigotry” at this critique, but let’s be clear: this isn’t about one individual’s faith or heritage. It’s about a system that has allowed rapid demographic change to outpace integration, creating enclaves that prioritize foreign identities over American ones.

Denaturalizing one person, as some have suggested, won’t fix this. The problem is systemic, rooted in policies that have turned New York into a mosaic of competing interests rather than a unified city. When I posted on X that “New New York LOVES radical Muslim foreigners,” I wasn’t exaggerating—it’s a reality reflected in the vote totals.

The establishment will tell you this is progress, that Mamdani’s win is a triumph of diversity. But diversity without unity is chaos. 

Twenty-four years ago, New Yorkers banded together in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Firefighters, cops, and everyday citizens didn’t care about your background—they cared about saving lives and rebuilding. That spirit is fading, replaced by a fractured city where identity politics reigns supreme.

Mamdani’s campaign leaned heavily on Muslim and South Asian voters, with outreach to mosques and community centers who showed up to vote in droves. Meanwhile, the voices of Old New York—those who remember the city before it became a globalist experiment—are drowned out.

The cope I’ve seen on X in the aftermath is understandable, but ultimately pathetic. People clinging to the idea that ranked-choice voting or Andrew Cuomo’s scandals handed Mamdani the win are missing the forest for the trees. This isn’t about one election cycle; it’s about a city that’s been fundamentally altered. 

Mamdani’s base isn’t just young progressives or democratic socialists—it’s a coalition built on decades of immigration policies that have reshaped the electorate. And with New York’s Democratic machine behind him, he’s now the odds-on favorite to win in November.

So where do we go from here? First, we need to have the conversation we’ve been told is off-limits: mass immigration. It’s not about hate; it’s about survival. Cities like New York can’t function when cultural cohesion is eroded, when new arrivals are enabled to retain foreign allegiances rather than embrace American values.

Second, we need leaders who will fight for the forgotten New Yorkers—the ones who don’t have the luxury of cheering for “free buses” because they’re too busy working to pay their rent. And finally, we need to reject the idea that pointing out these truths is somehow un-American. Loving your country means defending its identity, not watching it slip away.

Twenty-four years after 9/11, New York City stands at a crossroads. Will it remain the capital of American resilience, or will it become a cautionary tale of what happens when mass immigration and radical ideologies collide? Mamdani’s win is a symptom of a deeper disease. It’s time to stop pretending everything’s fine and start fighting for the soul of our cities.

Welcome to New New York.

Jack Posobiec is senior editor at Human Events, and a former US Navy intelligence officer. Follow him on X @JackPosobiec