- New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to allow ICE officers back on Rikers Island to assist with criminal investigations, particularly targeting violent gangs. The decision follows a closed-door meeting with “border czar” Tom Homan.
- Adams also emphasized his willingness to work with the Trump administration on the immigration crisis.
- The announcement came shortly after the Department of Justice asked federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Adams. It led to the resignation of Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor and five others.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said a plan is underway to help federal immigration authorities operate on Rikers Island. The news follows a closed-door meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, between Adams and “border czar” Tom Homan.
Adams said the two discussed removing violent migrant gangs from the city. He said he is preparing an executive order that will allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to return to Rikers Island.
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ICE officers had been allowed to operate on Rikers Island for 20 years until 2014. That’s when New York’s sanctuary policies ended their authority.
“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,” Adams said in a statement.
As I have always said, immigrants have been crucial in building our city and will continue to be key to our future success, but we must fix our long-broken immigration system. pic.twitter.com/OyTb4e94et
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 13, 2025
Adams also said the two officials discussed embedding more NYPD detectives into federal task forces.
Since President Donald Trump’s election, Adams has shown a willingness to collaborate with his administration to address the immigration crisis.
“Since the spring of 2022, 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,” Adams said in his statement. “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.”
The meeting with Homan and the announcement about ICE agents returning to Rikers Island came just two days after Trump’s Department of Justice asked federal prosecutors in New York to drop corruption charges against Adams.
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five other DOJ officials resigned Thursday after refusing to drop the charges.
