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Mayor Adams says he'll use executive order to change sanctuary laws after border czar meeting
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Dec 12, 2024
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Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Dec 12, 2024
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Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said he would issue an executive order to amend the city’s sanctuary laws during a fiery 10-minute press conference that followed his meeting with Tom Homan, the incoming ‘border czar’ for the Trump administration.
The mayor began his remarks by accusing the press and others of distorting his comments. In recent weeks, Adams has suggested that undocumented New Yorkers are not entitled to due process. He later walked back the statement. He said on Thursday that the city would not be a “safe haven” for those who have “committed crimes,” but neglected to specify whether he was referring to people who had been convicted of a crime, or just charged with one.
“About 170 crimes currently allow us to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a conviction,” he said, referring to the circumstances in the city’s sanctuary laws that allow local officials to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. “We need to examine them.”
Adams, who’s faced repeated questions about his stance on sanctuary laws, has been unclear about exactly what additional crimes and circumstances he believes should allow city officials to cooperate with federal immigration officials. On Thursday, he mentioned using executive orders to target repeat offenders.
Many Democrats, including challengers seeking to unseat the mayor, have attacked Adams as being anti-immigrant and seeking President-elect Donald Trump’s legal favor while battling federal corruption charges.
Mayor Adams met with Tom Homan at Gracie Mansion on Thursday.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“Today, as Mayor Adams talks with Trump's border czar, New Yorkers are left wondering: is his goal at the meeting to advocate for us or to advance his own personal agenda and curry favor to get a pardon?” wrote Scott Stringer, a Democratic mayoral challenger, on X.
The post contained a list of compiled statements from Adams over the years that showed conflicting stances on immigration and Trump.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate, also attacked Adams for making divisive comments, such his assertion that the migrant crisis would “destroy” the city. She also accused Adams of “cozying up to the incoming administration” in hopes of a pardon.
Speaking to a reporter in Washington, Rep. Dan Goldman, a Manhattan Democrat but not a known challenger, said Adams’ rhetoric about undocumented immigrants. “The mayor, especially, should understand the importance of due process and the importance of innocent until proven guilty.”
The comments appeared to anger Adams.
“I think that this entire narrative has been hijacked,” he said. “There's a great level of distortion. People are trying to push their own agenda.”
At the same press conference, Adams cited a factually distorted talking point prominently used by Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
“We have 500,000 children who have sponsors in this country that we can't find,” Adams said. “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. 500,000 children.”
Trump and Vance made similar comments on the campaign trail, in what the Associated Press called a misrepresentation of statistics from the Department of Homeland Security. Vance said in October that the department had “lost” more than 300,000 children, when in reality, a slightly lower number had not received orders to appear in court.
As Adams adjusts his stance on immigration, the city’s sanctuary laws have appeared increasingly threatened. They date back to the 1980s and were intended to allay undocumented immigrants' fears around using city services, reporting crimes or going to a hospital.
In 2014, the city updated the laws to ensure that undocumented residents accused of crimes would be granted the constitutional right of due process. The policy established a list of 170 serious crimes for which city officials may surrender undocumented New Yorkers to federal authorities, but they have to be convicted — and only when a judge signs a warrant that allows the person to be detained.
The mayor’s suggested expansion of the list could put more undocumented New Yorkers at risk of deportation, but he did not elaborate on what he might add.
“Once we come to a full understanding of that, then we will report on it,” Adams said.
Tagged
immigration
new york city
donald trump
Politics
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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