After assembly with President Trump’s prime border official, Mayor Adams introduced Thursday he’s taking government motion to permit federal immigration brokers to “operate” on Rikers Island — a transfer that seems to fly within the face of New York Metropolis’s sanctuary legal guidelines.
Adams made the startling announcement in a written assertion launched by his workplace hours after he met privately with Tom Homan, the president’s “border czar.”
“We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years,” Adams’ assertion mentioned.
The assertion added that ICE brokers allowed onto Rikers “would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs.”
In his assembly with Homan, Adams mentioned additionally they “discussed ways to embed more NYPD detectives into federal task forces, focusing on these violent gangs and criminal activity.”
A automobile believed to be carrying New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams departs 26 Federal Plaza after Adams’ assembly with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan at ICE headquarters on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Day by day Information)
It’s unclear what the mayor was referencing in saying ICE brokers had been allowed onto Rikers for 20 years. ICE was established as an company in 2003.
Beneath ex-Mayor Invoice de Blasio, town strengthened its sanctuary legal guidelines in 2014 to ban the power of ICE brokers to take care of places of work on Rikers for the needs of immigration enforcement.
Spokespeople for the mayor didn’t instantly return requests for touch upon how his deliberate government order would jibe with that legislation.
Adams’ announcement comes as his federal corruption indictment is within the technique of being dismissed by Trump’s Division of Justice.
In a extremely uncommon order Monday, Trump’s DOJ directed that Adams’ case be dropped for now, whereas additionally directing it needs to be reviewed for potential re-prosecution after November’s mayoral election.
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Todd Maisel/New York Day by day Information
An aerial view of Rikers Island. (Todd Maisel/New York Day by day Information)
Within the interim, the DOJ wrote in Monday’s order that dropping the case will allow Adams to assist advance Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, which incorporates pledges to launch “mass deportations” of all undocumented individuals within the nation.
That unconventional caveat within the dismissal order has led many authorized consultants in addition to Adams critics and onetime allies alike to argue that the mayor is beholden to Trump and required to hold out his agenda or face authorized repercussions.
“It seems overtly intended to serve as a continued instrument of blackmail against our city’s mayor to serve as an arm of the Trump administration,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams advised reporters at Metropolis Corridor on Thursday. “This leaves the mayor of our city compromised and we know the intentions of the Trump administration. This is bad for New York City. This is bad for New Yorkers.”
Initially Revealed: February 13, 2025 at 5:56 PM EST
