Mayor Adams said Thursday he agrees with Tom Homan, the incoming Trump administration’s border czar, on the fact that New York City shouldn’t be a “safe haven” for undocumented immigrants who commit serious crimes.
To that end, Adams said he is exploring whether he can use his executive powers to roll back some of New York’s sanctuary city protections, given that Democratic leaders in the City Council say they won’t help him do so.
The city, Adams said, has made “terrible mistakes” in the past in limiting cooperation with federal authorities carrying out deportation proceedings.
“His goal is the same goal I have,” Adams told reporters at City Hall after meeting privately with Homan at Gracie Mansion.
“This can’t be a safe haven for violent individuals. You have a privilege to live in this country, and those who want to commit acts of violence, they are violating that privilege,” Adams said. “[Homan’s] desire is clearly, again, what my target area is.”
The mayor faced backlash from some fellow local elected Democrats for agreeing to meet with Homan. Amid the criticism, Adams said he’s committed to protecting “hardworking” immigrants in the city.
Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during President-elect Donald Trump’s first White House term, has stirred up fears in immigrant communities across the U.S. by vowing to launch “mass deportation” proceedings targeting not just those who commit violent crimes, but also those whose only offense is being in the country without legal status.
Homan recently threatened in a TV news appearance to double the number of ICE agents in New York if city officials don’t participate in the Trump administration’s enforcement efforts, and has also pledged to use the U.S. military to assist in mass deportation efforts, a plan that’s likely to draw legal challenges.
Adams declined to answer questions from the press after the meeting on his stance on using the military in deportation efforts.
There was a “representative from the Biden administration” in his confab with Homan, Adams said, though his office didn’t immediately identify that person or disclose who else, if anyone, was in attendance. Photos from the meeting released by City Hall show Adams and Homan were joined by Ken Genalo, ICE’s New York City director, who has been openly critical of the city’s sanctuary laws.
New York City has long been home to some 500,000 undocumented immigrants, in addition to the tens of thousands of mostly Latin American migrants who have arrived since spring 2022 as part of a wave that continues to put intense strain on city resources.
Under sanctuary city laws strengthened under former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, city resources cannot be used and city officials generally can’t assist in helping federal authorities carrying out deportation proceedings, unless the individuals being targeted have been convicted of serious or violent crimes.
Adams has said he is in favor of peeling back some of those protections to empower the city to be able to cooperate with federal deportation authorities in cases involving immigrants charged — not just convicted — of serious crimes.
In his post-Homan meeting press conference, which he started off by saying some reporters were seeking to “distort” his views, Adams said he wants to see if he can make those changes without needing Council approval.
“New York remaining a sanctuary city is determined by the City Council, they told you what their position is. 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,” he said.
Homan, who was the architect of the first Trump administration’s highly controversial immigrant family separation policy, couldn’t be reached for comment after his meeting with Adams. Trump’s transition team didn’t respond to emailed questions.
Speaking outside City Hall while the mayor’s Homan meeting was taking place uptown, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams condemned Adams’ rhetoric around migrants and urged President Biden to take action to protect New York’s undocumented population before leaving office next month.
“I’m asking President Biden to step up and the mayor to stand up to Tom Homan today, and declare that New York is a city of immigrants, but instead, I expect them to sit idly by, or worse, to assist,” Williams said.
Adams has upset fellow Democrats on numerous occasions in recent months, sparking criticism in some quarters over his praising some of Trump’s appointees and raising questions about immigrants rights under the Constitution.
While he has frequently expressed a desire to roll back some sanctuary city protections, Adams’ critics — which include those running against him for mayor — have noted that Adams is facing a five-count federal corruption indictment and accused him of cozying up to Trump in the hopes of securing a pardon, a claim the mayor denies.
“It is clear that something is motivating him, and what’s motivating him is not what’s best for the city of New York,” Williams said.
Speaking at the same press conference, city Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s running against Adams in June’s Democratic mayoral primary, echoed concerns that Adams is attempting to curry favor with Trump.
“Is the mayor going to stand up for constitutional due process, or is he so hungry for a pardon for his own due process that he is going to throw New Yorkers under the bus?” Lander said.
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