New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed that his office is weighing options on how to maneuver around the Democrat-dominated city council in order to more freely crack down illegal migrant criminals.
Adams believes the city council has “made it clear” they are not interested in rolling back sanctuary city laws, so he is now considering executive action to allow for more local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a Sunday interview he gave with a local news outlet. The Democrat mayor, whose rhetoric has shifted rightward as he’s managed an ongoing migrant crisis and has since been hit with bribery charges, will also soon be meeting with Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar.
“I was saying those who are committing crimes in our city must be addressed,” Adams said on CBS News New York. “And we should change the current sanctuary city law to address that issue.”
“Well, the City Council made it clear they don’t want to change that,” the mayor continued. “They stated they’re not willing to change the sanctuary city law. I think they’re wrong. I have my teams looking at my power as executive orders.”
In a statement earlier in December, Democrat Council Member Robert Holden said “tough talk is good, but actions speak louder” in response to Adams’ announcement that he was to meet with Homan. Holden criticized the mayor for not paving the way for repealing sanctuary laws through his Charter Revision Commission, and called on him to show his commitment to the issue by reopening Rikers Island prison facility to ICE agents.
Created earlier in 2024 by the mayor’s office, the commission was tasked with analyzing pressing issues facing the city, hearing from the public and then ultimately deciding what referendums would be put directly to the voters in the November elections. Despite a push by moderate lawmakers, the commission opted not to include a referendum on the city’s sanctuary laws.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014 signed into law a bill that largely blocks the New York Police Department from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, and he enacted legislation in 2018 that doubled down on the policy. A major component of de Blasio’s sanctuary city rollout was the eviction of ICE agents from Rikers Island, a major prison facility located in The Bronx.
As New York City has continued to be hit with an illegal immigration crisis and notable migrant-related crime stories have made headlines, calls have grown for a rollback of these laws. However, a bill introduced earlier in 2024 by a group of moderate council members that would’ve done just that went nowhere as the city council is stacked with liberal Democrats that are supportive of sanctuary city policies.
While there are tens of thousands of illegal migrants estimated to be living in the Big Apple, Adams reiterated that he is only interested in utilizing his authority to remove those involved in heinous crimes.
“As I stated almost a year ago, I want to look at those who are committing serious violent felonies in our city,” the mayor explained to CBS New York. “Once the City Council made it clear, we’re not changing the sanctuary city laws to allow ICE to go after those dangerous offenders. Once they made that clear, I went to plan B and said, what are my options and my powers?”
“And I want to be able to sit down with the Border czar, and say, here’s my concern. And we’re looking at ways that I could use my executive power to go after those dangerous, dangerous, violent people,” he continued.
While Adams has increasingly voiced his displeasure with sanctuary city policies and an eagerness to work with federal immigration authorities, others are suggesting the mayor is all bark with no bite.
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