New York City will allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open an office on Rikers Island so federal officials can conduct investigations on undocumented immigrants that are alleged to be involved in criminal activity.
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro signed an executive order Tuesday allowing officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to be able to operate on Rikers and coordinate with the Department of Corrections.
During his weekly press conference Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he approved the city's collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE "to go after dangerous people who burn women on the train, shoot at police officers, attack migrants in asylum seekers, and have been able to go in our criminal justice system and just come right back out and repeatedly do it over and over again."
The mayor, who was speaking about national immigration policies ahead of the signing of the executive order, also said the city is not allowing federal agents into schools and churches.
"We don't see enforcement, major sweeps going through employment. People call the police. You don't see the police officers turn in people who are undocumented to police officers. So what are we getting? We're getting cooperation," the mayor said.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said the move by City Hall was "deeply concerning" because it comes shortly after federal corruption charges against the mayor were dropped.
“It is hard not to see this action as connected to the dismissal of the mayor’s case and his willingness to cooperate with Trump’s extreme deportation agenda that is removing residents without justification or due process," the speaker said. "The mayor’s decision to compromise the city’s sovereignty, threaten chaos and risk harm to our families."
The executive order reverses Local Law 58, which has prohibited the use of office space on Rikers for the enforcement of civil immigration enforcement since 2014.
“Make no mistake, policies such as this executive order will have a chilling effect throughout the city, undermining public safety—which the mayor purports to prioritize above all else—by deterring noncitizens from seeking help or cooperating with law enforcement for fear of deportation," the Legal Aid Society said in a statement.
The group said it was exploring all legal options to stop the executive order, including litigation.
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