Democrat Mayor Caves, Announces Executive Order Helping ICE Deport Illegals

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has taken a surprising turn in the city’s immigration policy, announcing Thursday that his administration is working on an executive order allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate on Rikers Island. The move marks a major departure from the city’s longstanding sanctuary policies, which have shielded illegal immigrants from federal enforcement.

The decision comes after Adams met with former ICE Director Tom Homan and local federal law enforcement officials. Following the meeting, Adams revealed that his team is actively working on reestablishing ICE’s ability to operate within the city’s correctional facilities.

“We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island,” Adams said, according to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.

For years, New York City has been a safe haven for illegal immigrants, limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Sanctuary city policies have prohibited local law enforcement from coordinating with ICE on deportation efforts, even when dealing with individuals who have committed crimes. However, as the city grapples with an overwhelming migrant crisis, Adams has come under increasing pressure to take action.

JUST IN: NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces executive order letting ICE agents operate on RIKERS ISLAND after meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan, law enforcement – @BillMelugin_ / Fox pic.twitter.com/HwFO5EmZSv

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 13, 2025

Adams convened a private meeting with Homan. In his statement, he mentioned that work was underway on an executive order to “reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years.”

Migrants use cardboard boxes to shield themselves from the sun’s heat during the early afternoon on the Roosevelt Hotel migrant waiting line. Manhattan, New York, July 31, 2023.

He further clarified that the focus this time would be different: “But now, instead, ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs,” he added according to Fox News.

“New York City has been forced to shoulder the burden of a national humanitarian crisis where more than 230,000 migrants have come to our city seeking support, at a cost of approximately $7 billion, with little help from the previous administration,” the New York City mayor explained.

The executive order is primarily aimed at bolstering criminal investigations, specifically targeting violent criminals and gang activities, positioning the move as one of public safety rather than a shift in immigration policy. The policy change follows negotiations with federal officials, indicating a strategic adjustment in the dynamics of local and federal interaction over immigration enforcement within sanctuary jurisdictions.

“That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers,” Adams continued.

The adjustment is part of a larger national discourse on sanctuary policies, where various states and cities are reconsidering their levels of cooperation with ICE, despite existing sanctuary laws. The executive order allowing ICE access to Rikers Island could streamline the identification and detention of individuals with criminal records for deportation purposes.

By focusing on criminal rather than civil cases, the policy could lead to a concentrated rise in the deportation of those with histories of violent crime.