NEW YORK (NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams met Thursday with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, but offered few specifics on the meeting during a news briefing shortly after.
“We are not going to be a safe haven to those who commit violent acts,” Adams said repeatedly.
The two were expected to discuss the city’s migrant crisis, including the deportation of migrants convicted of criminal offenses. Homan has said he would withhold funding from sanctuary cities, including New York City, if they do not assist the federal government with Trump’s promised mass deportation plan.
Adams, a Democrat, has said he intends to work with the Trump administration on immigration. When asked if New York would remain a so-called sanctuary city, the mayor said that status is determined by “City Hall.”
Over the past two years, hundreds of thousands of migrants have come to New York City, with about 60,000 living in the city now, according to Adams. He announced earlier this week that 25 shelters would be closing across the city. The number of asylum-seekers in city shelters has dropped for 22 consecutive weeks to its lowest point in 17 months.
Despite the drop, Adams says a criminal element remains in some of the migrant population.
“This small number of people who are coming in, committing crimes in our city, and they need to be held accountable,” Adams said last week on NewsNation local affiliate WPIX in New York. “You do not abuse your right to be here in this city … in this country with criminal behavior … and I’ve been clear on that for over a year now.”
Homan has been vocal about mass deportations, which is expected to be one of the main focuses of Thursday’s meeting. He spoke about Trump’s mass deportation promise during a recent appearance on NewsNation.
“Of course, there has to be a historic deportation operation because we have no other option,” he said. “If the court order doesn’t mean anything, if the judge’s order doesn’t mean anything, then what are we doing?”
It was unclear whether Trump, who was also in New York City on Thursday, would meet with Adams. The Democratic mayor has warmed to Trump recently and has not ruled out changing his political party. Adams has been charged with federal corruption crimes and accused of selling influence to foreign nationals; he has denied wrongdoing.
Adams claims the city has spent more than $6.4 billion on migrants since the crisis began.
