Mayor Adams to Allow ICE to Operate Inside Rikers Island

NEW YORK, NY – Today, in response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan and his subsequent announcement allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to operate on Rikers Island, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement, attributable to Senior Policy Counsel Zach Ahmad:

“Mayor Adams’s plan to allow ICE agents at Rikers Island, and his interest in making needless concessions to ICE, show that the Mayor is turning his back on New Yorkers for Trump and his own self-interest.

“ICE’s presence on Rikers serves no legitimate purpose, and opens the door to unlawful collusion between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials in violation of our city’s well-established sanctuary protections. Mayor Adams needs to end this shameful flirtation with ICE, and come clean about what promises he has been making behind closed doors. He must provide more information on this agreement and clarify what exactly ICE agents will be doing on Rikers Island. 

“It’s worth repeating: crime in New York City is down and there was never any evidence that a surge in crime was caused by immigrants. Immigrants make the city’s culture, economy, and communities and they deserve a Mayor that protects them.” 

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