A judge on Monday temporarily blocked New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) from permitting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to establish an office on Rikers Island.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Mary Rosado said city officials should halt any efforts “towards negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memoranda of Understanding with the federal government regarding federal law enforcement presence on Department of Correction property.”
A hearing at the New York Supreme Court — which is a trial-level court in the state, not its high court — is scheduled for April 25, when both Adams and the New York City Council will be heard. The council initiated a lawsuit intending to block ICE from operating on Rikers Island. Rosado is then expected to extend, modify or vacate the temporary restraining order.
Adams signed an executive order on April 8 seeking to enter an agreement with the federal agency in an effort to allow ICE to carry out immigration enforcement efforts on the island, which houses New York’s largest jail.
The mayor said the collaboration could help combat the presence of foreign criminal gangs including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, both of which have been the focus of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Adams, who had federal charges dropped by Trump’s Justice Department earlier this year, has denied striking a deal to help the Trump administration make good on promises to carry out mass deportations.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has pledged to ensure Adams supports federal deportation efforts, despite New York’s status as a sanctuary city, a designation that seeks to protect migrants in the country illegally from immigration enforcement.
Critics of the mayor’s plans for an ICE office on Rikers Island, however, see a conflict of interest.
“It’s worth repeating that 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. In fact, crime in New York City is down — and there was never any evidence that a surge in crime was caused by immigrants,” the New York Civil Liberties Union wrote in a press release.
“New Yorkers see this for what it is: Mayor Adams skirting the City Council, cozying up to Trump, and putting immigrant New Yorkers in harm’s way,” it continued.
But Adams said he’s simply seeking to protect the city from criminals.
“Executive Order 50 is expressly authorized by New York City’s local laws — the very laws enacted by the City Council. While we will review the lawsuit, this one seems baseless and contrary to the public interest in protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals,” Adams’s office said in a statement.
“We remain committed to our administration’s efforts to reduce crime and keep New Yorkers safe — we hope the City Council will join us in doing so,” it added.
