Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa calls out rumored NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo on immigration: ‘Time to go on an apology tour’

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa called out Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday — saying the former Democratic governor owes federal immigration officials a stiff apology.

Cuomo — who is rumored to be weighing a run for Big Apple mayor — needs to step up for his soft-on-illegal immigration legacy and for once even ripping ICE agents as “thugs,” Sliwa wrote in a scathing op-ed piece.

“For Andrew Cuomo, it’s time for him to go on an apology tour,” Sliwa, the 2021 Republican candidate who lost to Mayor Eric Adams, wrote in The New York Sun, as he teased another run for Gracie Mansion this year.

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“Start with the ICE agents you called ‘thugs,'” he told Cuomo. “Then there will be many others to apologize to as well, and I’ll be sure to remind him when I’m running against him.”

Sliwa said Cuomo’s obsession with the Empire State’s controversial “sanctuary” status is “one reason why I’m itching to run for mayor” as well, he wrote — setting up a potential campaign face-off between the two.

As Cuomo is said to be eyeing a challenge to Adams in the June Democratic primary, Sliwa pointed out the former three-term governor has been distancing himself from past unpopular policies, such as his support of congestion pricing and bail reform.

Cuomo took the infamous dig at the feds in August 2018, while running for re-election.

“New York state is the state that said we will not cooperate with ICE,” he said. “They’re a bunch of thugs.”

The son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo was elected to three terms in office beginning in 2010, but resigned in 2021 while facing a slew of sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.

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The ex-governor appeared to flip on immigration after being booted from Albany, and in 2023 slammed then-President Joe Biden’s border policies in a bid to revive his political career.

“The southern states were right that opening the border created a tremendous hardship for them to handle,” he said at the time. “They were right that the federal government was not prepared.”

But in he can’t undo his legacy, Sliwa charged in his op-ed piece.

“Mr. Cuomo has been meeting with focus groups to figure out what positions he should now take, pivoting and shifting away from his old classics like no cash bail, congestion pricing and supporting his parole board, which released 20 police officer killers,” Sliwa wrote.

He said Cuomo “doubled down” on his criticism of ICE, even as the feds were targeting the violent migrant gang MS-13, and constantly battled with Trump during his first stint in the White House.

“Calling ICE agents ‘thugs’ is beyond belief,” Sliwa said. “Think about it: These men and women who are fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, who chose to enforce the laws in this country. They put on a Kevlar vest and go out to protect the community against violent offenders.”

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Richard Azzopardi, a rep for Cuomo, called Sliwa’s claims a “distortion” in a statement Tuesday.

“Sliwa cannot be taken seriously — he’s a caricature,” Azzopardi said. “But as a matter of fact anyone convicted of a crime is and has always been subject to ICE enforcement, and the state must — as it always has — work with ICE and law enforcement to ensure criminals are removed.” 

He added that Cuomo invested more than $45 million to combat MS-13 while he was in office, and applauded law enforcement for busting more than 100 of the gang’s members.