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A New York City map highlighting immigrant communities has sparked criticism after omitting several of the city’s most well-known ethnic neighborhoods, including Manhattan’s historic Little Italy.
The guide, titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves,” was released under Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration and identifies 30 neighborhoods across the five boroughs with significant foreign-born populations. Among those included are Koreatown in Manhattan, Little Pakistan in Brooklyn, Little Yemen in the Bronx, Little Guyana in Queens, Little Mexico in Staten Island, Little Dominican Republic in Manhattan, and Little Palestine, according to The New York Post.
Missing from the map is Little Italy, the iconic Manhattan neighborhood established by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century. Also absent are Irish immigrant communities such as Woodlawn in the Bronx and Sunnyside in Queens, as well as Borough Park in Brooklyn, which is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities outside Israel.
AND FWIW — there are actually TWO little Italys in NYC, both of which were not reflected here https://t.co/OZVZ65UqoF
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) July 9, 2026
The omissions prompted immediate backlash online.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) questioned the selections, saying: “They were able to get a Little Bhod-Tibet in there, but what about the original ‘Little neighborhood,’ Little Italy? And what about areas like Woodlawn, in the Bronx, which are home to plenty of Irish immigrants? Do the Irish and Italians not count for the Mayor’s office?”
Joseph Scelsa, founder of the Italian-American Museum on Mulberry Street, also criticized the exclusion.
“To respect one is to respect all. Italian-Americans are still a major population in New York City. To not recognize where Italian-Americans came from and settled is a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why Little Italy isn’t included. I hope it’s an oversight,” Scelsa said.
Zohran Mamdani wants to ERASE Italian Americans.
First, he denied our permit for Unity Day 2026.
Now, he is excluding Little Italy as a recognized location all together on the map.
Italian Americans BUILT NEW YORK CITY. Not third world Ugandans,
We stand AGAINST COMMUNISTS! pic.twitter.com/BYgVuie6jX
— The Italian American Civil Rights League (@TheIACRL) July 9, 2026
Kevin McCabe, a former New York City Council chief of staff, wrote: “I guess they never heard of Woodlawn or Sunnyside but that’s OK, the Irish are everywhere, the way it’s supposed to be. The British Empire at the height of its powers couldn’t cancel the Irish, I’m not too worried about a couple of ill-informed bureaucrats.”
The map also drew criticism over the absence of a neighborhood representing New York City’s Jewish community.
Writer Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt posted on Twitter: “The Mayor’s Office made a map of NYC’s immigrant enclaves: Little Africa, Little Poland, Little Palestine. But they just couldn’t figure out how to represent 11% of the city. Couldn’t decipher where the Jews are from. Huge riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger added: “Mr. Mamdani’s erasing Jews is an essential part of his brand. No surprise.”
It should be no surprise that a socialist would try to erase cultural neighborhoods, especially of the ethnicities he doesn’t like. In a way, Mamdani is a perfect heir to Barack Obama, who forced the Democratic Party to focus on identity politics instead of economics. Michelle Obama famously said, “Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices; we are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place.”
Mamdani did poorly with those who are actually from New York, like those families from Little Italy or American Jews.
Mamdani hates Italians, Irish and Jews because they overwhelmingly rejected him.
Mamdani’s base is mostly a coalition of DSA leftist transplants and Muslim immigrants (which he got a whopping 98% of the Muslim vote).
Real New Yorkers did not vote for him. https://t.co/mvQoc3FqyE pic.twitter.com/ldJbWpdZAY
— Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) July 9, 2026
A City Hall spokesperson defended the project, saying the map “highlights neighborhoods in New York City that have substantial foreign-born populations from regions and countries around the world.” The spokesperson added: “It does not highlight religious groups.”
