New York mayor says Trump agreed to grant immediate visa to mother of slain Bronx teen so she can say goodbye in person

New York · Politics · Oct. 31, 2026 · New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Saturday that he had just spoken with President Donald Trump, who agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a slain teenager so she can come to New York to say goodbye to her son in person. The teenager, 15-year-old Ghanaian immigrant Javits Frimpong, was shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx on Thursday morning.

Mamdani announces the call on social media

Mamdani wrote on X on Saturday: “The murder of a child is a pain no parent should have to endure, let alone from thousands of miles away. Javits Frimpong’s mother deserves to say goodbye to her son in person. I just got off the phone with President Trump, and he has agreed to grant her visa immediately. All of New York City is mourning this tragedy.” Mamdani also said he had informed the teenager’s father of the decision.

Teen killed on his way to school; investigation continues

Police said Frimpong was shot in the abdomen shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Thursday while walking to school in a Bronx neighborhood, and was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day. No arrests had been made as of Saturday, and the killing remains under investigation. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Bronx Democrat, said Frimpong had moved from Ghana about a year ago to live with his father and start a new life in the United States. Ghana’s Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa said Ghanaian officials in New York are coordinating with local authorities and will help the mother with the visa application process.

White House has not yet confirmed

The Associated Press reported that the White House did not immediately respond to an email asking it to confirm that the visa would be issued, so the commitment rests for now on the mayor’s account. The city said its Office of Community Safety funded and coordinated a Crisis Management System mobile trauma unit in the neighborhood, providing grief counselors and outreach specialists. The mayor’s office said Mamdani called the family directly on Friday evening to offer condolences.

Compiled from an Associated Press report, noting that the White House has not yet confirmed the visa decision.