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NYC advocates condemn Mayor Adams’ stance on sanctuary policies
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 9, 2025
Modified Feb 9, 2025
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Courtesy Ella Weber/New York Working Families Party
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 9, 2025
Modified Feb 9, 2025
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New York City advocates and politicians are pushing back against Mayor Eric Adams' new guidance for shelter workers on cooperating with visiting federal immigration officers if they “reasonably feel threatened.”
Sent to shelter providers by City Hall in a Jan. 13 memo, the new instructions directed staff at nonprofit-run migrant shelters and other city-related facilities to comply with visiting federal immigration officers if, at any time, they fear for their safety or the safety of those around them. Immigration advocates and lawmakers said the directive invites ICE to enter shelters, violating the city’s sanctuary protections.
"If, at any time, you reasonably feel threatened or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, you should give the officer the information they have asked for (if available to you) or let them enter the site,” the memo said.
The guidance, first reported by local outlet Hell Gate, marks a departure from previously issued instructions that stressed these protections, which bar city workers and resources from being used to further federal immigration enforcement.
At a rally protesting the move on Sunday, Ana Maria Archila, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, said the policy change will prompt federal officers to be more forceful in their approach.
“Eric Adams sent a guidance to city workers encouraging them to give away the power that the law has granted them,” Archila said. “Encouraging ICE officers to be aggressive, to intimidate our city workers.”
On Sunday, Department of Education Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos posted on social media urging parents to continue sending their children to school.
“We unequivocally stand with all children in our city regardless of immigration status,” Aviles-Ramos said. “We want to be very clear, our policies have not changed, as always non-local law enforcement is not permitted in any of our schools buildings without a judicial warrant or unless there are exigent circumstances.”
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak previously said that New York City was not instructing employees to automatically cooperate with federal law enforcement, but was providing guidance on how to handle ICE visits to shelters or other city sites. She said the city was prioritizing the safety of both employees and those in their care, urging workers not to interfere with law enforcement if they continue their actions.
"Let’s be very clear: anyone perpetuating the claim that New York City is instructing city employees to simply open doors for federal law enforcement, including ICE, is spreading misinformation that only fuels anxiety within immigrant communities and our city’s workforce," Mamelak said on Sunday. "The legal guidance sent out on January 13th outlines a series of steps for city workers on how to respond to non-local law enforcement attempting to enter city property."
She continued, "This includes asking for an agent’s credentials, asking for a warrant, and contacting the agency’s general counsel. Prior to and following the issuance of this guidance, we had been in constant communication with our city agencies, where we discussed numerous hypotheticals, including if law enforcement were to be in pursuit of a violent criminal, and used this guidance to inform how to respond."
Critics accused Adams of “cozying up" to President Donald Trump, an accusation that has resurfaced amid rumors of a potential pardon for the mayor, who is facing multiple investigations.
“It’s clear, Mayor Eric Adams does not respect our laws,” Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO for New York Immigration Coalition Action, said in a statement. “It’s one thing for Adams to waffle on his commitment to New York City’s sanctuary policies while cozying up to Trump. It’s entirely another when he sanctions his agency staff and City employees to completely disregard those same local laws when it suits them.”
Speaking Sunday on WABC’s “Tiempo,” Adams said immigrants in New York City shouldn’t let “rumors” of ICE raids create fear or interfere with their daily lives.
“We're hearing over and over rumors of ICE raiding schools, didn't happen. We're hearing over and over again, ICE raiding shelters, didn't happen. And so we have to ask ourselves, who's feeding the hysteria?” he said. “My message has been clear: students go to school. If you need medical care, go to the hospitals. If you're the victim of a crime, go to report to the law enforcement entity.”
Adams also said city employees can’t “get in the way” of federal officers pursuing criminals.
“If an ICE officer responds to go after a person who committed a serious crime and they're there and others are there that are undocumented, they're going to carry out, they have the responsibility to carry out their job as immigration officials,” he said. “I don't determine that. And I cannot have any city employee that will get in the way of them carrying out their job as a federal authority.”
This story has been updated with additional comment from City Hall.
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Catalina Gonella
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