New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said the city will not remain a Sanctuary City for asylum seekers who commit serious crimes, after meeting with Tom Homan, the border czar for president-elect Donald Trump.
During a press conference shortly after Adams met with Homan and Department of Homeland Security Official Kenneth Genalo, the mayor said "...we will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts. We don't do it for those who are citizens, and we're not going to do it for those who are undocumented."
"We've made terrible mistakes in the past by preventing– to keep our city safe from those who have committed repeated acts of violence, particularly these dangerous gangs that we have witnessed in our city, and we're not going to continue in that direction," he said, and added that he was not focused on hard working immigrants in the city.
Adams said his legal team is currently trying to figure out whether they have the authorization to sit down and speak with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on how they can coordinate deporting asylum seekers that commit crime and whether he can use an executive order to accomplish this.
There are about 170 crimes that allows city officials to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a conviction, the mayor said.
"I'm going to try to attempt to use my executive orders to go after dangerous people who are committing violent acts against migrants and asylum seekers and long-term New Yorkers and undocumented immigrants," Adams said. "No one should be a victim of a crime in this city and particularly violent crimes. And I said that over and over again and I'm going to continue to stand by that."
Homan, who appeared on Fox News after the meeting, said "he saw a cop" in the mayor, who promised continued partnership. Homan also said the two talked about getting ICE back into Rikers Island and federal agents to be assigned to police precincts.
The mayor also said officials discussed the 500,000 children currently in the country whose whereabouts are unknown.
"We can't find them. We don't know if they're doing child labor. We don't know if they're doing sex crimes. We don't know if they've been exploited," he said.
There were several elected officials, some running against Adams in the June 2025 Democratic Primary, who condemned the mayor's actions.
“Since Mayor Adams makes it clearer daily that he seems more interested in helping Donald Trump with a dangerous agenda of deportation, it’s clear that vulnerable New Yorkers can’t rely on this mayor for support – so I’m asking President [Joe] Biden to use the time and power he has left in order to enact common sense protections," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "We have a moral mandate to do what we can, with what we have, to stand up for people under threat."
In a rally outside of City Hall prior to the Homan-Adams meeting, Williams said he sent a letter to the Biden administration on Wednesday to urge several actions that the White House can immediately take in order to provide protections against many of the incoming Trump administration’s policies and proposals.
“Eric Adams is so focused on cozying up to Trump that he is willing to deny people due process and put the safety of families at risk," said city Comptroller Brad Lander. "This open-armed embrace of Trump’s xenophobic policies is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home."
After the press conference, the mayor's office released a set of proposals that included:
- Continuing to advocate for bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform, which includes a national resettlement strategy, work authorization and legal pathways for asylum seekers already in cities, funding for municipalities and securing of the border.
- Exploring lawful processes to remove from New York City individuals who have been convicted of a major felony and lack legal status to remain in the United States.
- Encouraging immigrant New Yorkers to come forward if they have been a victim of a crime or witnessed a crime without fear of deportation.
- Establishing a “Safe Communities Working Group,” consisting of local, state, and federal officials, immigrant community stakeholders, legal experts and faith and business leaders to make recommendations on new policy interventions to keep both longtime New Yorkers and immigrants safe.
- Launching an awareness campaign to combat misinformation and to encourage immigrants and asylum seekers to continue to feel safe engaging with essential city services, including public schools, hospital systems and public safety agencies.
The mayor also released a set of proposals that he would like the incoming administration in Washington, D.C., to pursue:
- A border resettlement strategy: Ongoing advocacy for a national resettlement strategy led by the federal government, aimed at aligning asylum seekers with cities and counties across the nation experiencing workforce shortages so that the limited resources of a handful of cities are not being overburdened.
- Funding: Need for federal funding, as cities should not be financially responsible for a national issues.
- Work authorization: Granting work authorization to immigrants, which provides economic benefits, both for the individuals and households involved and for the broader U.S. economy. Additionally, providing expedited work authorization pathways for those already here.
- Bipartisan agreement: Support for a bipartisan deal that would provide a legislative solution for Dreamers, provide increased border and security measures.
- Restrictions at the southern border: Support for the ongoing implementation of policies restricting entry.
