The president of the Detectives Endowment Association has stated that New York City police officers will not accompany first lady Rama Duwaji on her upcoming personal trip to Syria and Lebanon, citing safety concerns and the destinations' high-risk status.

NYPD Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro emphasized that the union's decision is not political but is focused on the safety of New York City detectives. "This isn’t about politics at all — it’s not about politics," Munro said. "This is about keeping the New York City detectives safe, out of harm’s way. Let them do their job here in New York City. That’s what they’re here for."

Munro described Syria and Lebanon as "no-fly areas" and "no-go zones," unequivocally stating, "We are not going there."

The union's stance follows an announcement from a representative for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, stating that Duwaji would travel with her NYPD security detail to visit family in the Middle East next month. Police leadership reportedly rejected this plan on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Mayor Mamdani attributed the initial announcement to a "miscommunication" between City Hall and the NYPD. Duwaji is scheduled to depart on September 20 for personal visits to Syria and Lebanon, where she has relatives.

Both Syria and Lebanon are currently under a U.S. State Department Level 4 advisory, the highest security warning, which advises citizens against travel due to an "extreme risk" of terrorism, civil unrest, or crime.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed the department's policy: "The department does not send officers to countries with level four travel advisories for discretionary reasons not linked to investigative work. This is not an investigative trip, and therefore, NYPD personnel will not be traveling there for it."

Munro suggested that the apparent misstep by the Mamdani administration might stem from "a lack of communication" or "a lack of experience at City Hall." He noted that while the department has overseas liaisons, these are for official police work, not social engagements. "We have a hard enough job today to do the job here in New York City, with everything going on, with protests, your day-to-day," Munro stated. "There was no intent for any of our detectives [to go overseas], and I showed that I was very disheartened if that was even going to happen."