New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed over the weekend he is weighing using his executive power as mayor to bypass the city's sanctuary laws to allow federal agents to more easily deport undocumented immigrants. The statement is the latest indication of Adams cozying up to the incoming Trump administration.
The mayor stopped by CBS-TV's "The Point With Marcia Kramer," where he discussed his recent views on immigration and his controversial critiques of the city's sanctuary laws for migrants.
When asked by Kramer if there should be more cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city, Adams did not hesitate to agree.
"Yes, I do believe that," he said decisively. "Those who are committing crimes in our city must be addressed, and we should change the current sanctuary city law to address that issue."
WOAH! Eric Adams says he is weighing using his power as mayor to bypass NYC's sanctuary city designation to allow President Trump to deport illegals.
— NYScanner (@nyscanner) December 9, 2024
He REALLY wants a pardon! pic.twitter.com/Na2DRk2yIq
The city's sanctuary rules restrict city officials from cooperating with federal immigration agents. New York City mayors going back to Ed Koch, who was in office from 1978 to 1989, have pointed to sanctuary policies to encourage immigrants to use city services, such as hospitals, schools and police without fear of deportation, according to Gothamist.
The city also passed a law in 2014 that ensured undocumented individuals accused of crimes would be given due process prior to deportation proceedings. City officials may turn over only those undocumented individuals who have been convicted of one of a list of 170 serious crimes within the last five years— and only when a judge has signed a warrant authorizing federal authorities to detain them.
But Adams, a former NYPD captain and long-time critic of such laws, revealed during his recent interviews that he may change them.
"The City Council made it clear they don't want to change that. They stated they don't want to change the sanctuary city law. I think they're wrong," Adams said. "I have my teams looking at my power as executive orders," hinting that he is weighing altering the laws.
Adams has called for the change of these laws repeatedly throughout this year, claiming they have gone "too far," and arguing that "we should be able to address and coordinate with any entity when you're dealing with those who commit crimes in our city."
The mayor's comments come as he and President-elect Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan set a meeting date to discuss their deportation plans.
"I am looking forward to sitting down and speaking with the border czar next week, I believe we have a meeting on the 12th, and I want to hear the actual plan, how we are going to actually operationalize this plan," Adams said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" last week.
New York City reportedly has roughly 60,000 undocumented migrants wanted for deportation, with more than 1,000 suspected of being gang members, according to NewsNation. With his comments, Adams is breaking ranks with other Democratic leaders, who are seeking to "Trump-proof" their jurisdiction and protect vulnerable communities.
Adams won office on a centrist platform, promising he would further restrict cooperation with ICE. Instead, he has taken a hard rightward turn in his rhetoric in the weeks since Trump's election victory, particularly on immigration. That comes as he faces federal corruption charges.
Adams has pleaded not guilty in his federal criminal case, in which he has been accused of accepting free or discounted overseas trips and illegal campaign contributions from people looking to gain his influence, including people connected to Turkey or the Turkish government. Trump himself has grown keen to Adams' woes, claiming he and the Democratic mayor have been politically persecuted for their opposition to the Biden administration.
"We were persecuted, Eric." Trump said at an October charity event in Manhattan. "I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric."
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