NEW YORK, CMC—New York Metropolis Council officers have expressed concern at Mayor Eric Adams’s resolution to situation an government order permitting United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers entry to Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York.
They are saying the transfer is to help President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan that entails Caribbean immigrants.
In a joint assertion, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Immigration Committee Chair Alexa Avilés, and Felony Justice Committee Chair Sandy Nurse mentioned they wish to “see the language of any purported government order to guage its legality.
“At the moment’s assertion by the mayor solely additional connects it to the resignations at DOJ (US Division of Justice) over the obvious quid professional quo recognized by the just lately resigned US Legal professional for the Southern District (Court docket),” they mentioned.
The NYC Council officers mentioned Native Legislation 58 of 2014 has “clear pointers” prohibiting using workplace house on Rikers Island for civil immigration enforcement.
“We’re ready to defend in opposition to violations of the regulation, however this announcement solely deepens the priority that the mayor is prioritizing the pursuits of the Trump administration over these of New Yorkers,” they mentioned, including that present metropolis legal guidelines are particular to how and when metropolis assets can be utilized for federal immigration enforcement to guard the security of town and its communities.
“The Council will decide its formal response based mostly on the manager order,” they added.
Following the mayor’s assembly with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, the NYC councilors famous that the mayor introduced an government order to “re-establish the flexibility for ICE brokers to function on Rikers Island for felony enforcement.”
They mentioned this assembly got here days after high DOJ officers “interfered” in Adams’s federal felony case. The identical day, a number of DOJ officers, together with the Appearing US Legal professional for the Southern District Court docket of New York, resigned in protest.
After assembly with Homan final Thursday, Adams mentioned: “As I’ve at all times mentioned, immigrants have been essential in constructing our metropolis and can proceed to be key to our future success, however we should repair our long-broken immigration system.
“For the reason that spring of 2022, New York Metropolis has been compelled to shoulder the burden of a nationwide humanitarian disaster the place greater than 230,000 migrants have come to our metropolis in search of help, at a price of roughly seven billion US {dollars} with little assist from the earlier administration,” he mentioned.
“That’s the reason I’ve been clear that I wish to work with the brand new federal administration, not conflict with them, to seek out widespread floor and enhance the lives of New Yorkers,” he added.
However Murad Awawdeh, president and chief government officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), condemned the mayor’s newest motion.
“He’s purposely obfuscating ICE’s mandate at Rikers Island to do an finish run round our native legal guidelines,” Awawdeh instructed the Caribbean Media Company (CMC).
“By doing so, he simply made himself complicit with the Trump administration’s detention to-deportation pipeline in trade for a Division of Justice promise to squash the five-count federal corruption prices in opposition to him.
“This can be a deal made with the satan to attempt to roll again our metropolis’s longstanding sanctuary legal guidelines and insurance policies – insurance policies that enable all New Yorkers to reside freely whereas enhancing everybody’s public security. Historical past won’t look kindly on his betrayal of our communities, shared values, and dedication to due course of.
“We’ll combat this legally doubtful motion with the complete drive of our folks energy and with the elected officers in New York Metropolis who try to manipulate,” Awawdeh mentioned.
