New York City Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly met with top federal immigrants for almost a year and teased changes to the city’s sanctuary policy, but he has not yet officially provided any major reforms. .

Since the start of the overwhelming illegal immigration crisis in New York City in the spring of 2022, the mayor has announced changes to the Big Apple Sanctuary Urban Law, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and immigration and customs enforcement (ICE). I’m looking for it more and more. Adams’ office had repeated discussions with Ice Leaders in 2024, with the mayor sitting twice with Tom Homan of the border to discuss the strategy, but no official changes have yet to be made. yeah.

Following Thursday’s meeting with Homan, the Democratic mayor said. He’s working on An executive order that allows Ice Agents to return to Rikers Island, New York City’s largest prison facility. Adams emphasized that ICE collaboration focuses on dangerous criminal immigration. (Related: Exclusive: Hot Sheet DA after Bond Man gets fired by police)

“Today, I met with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan and local federal law enforcement officials to discuss how we could work together to eliminate violent migrant gangs from the city,” Adams said. said in an official statement. “We are currently working on implementing executive orders that reestablish the ability of ICE agents to operate at Rikers Island, but as they did for 20 years — now, ICE agents are particularly supportive of the Corrections and Information Bureau. It focuses on their criminal investigations, particularly on violent criminals and gangs.”

“We also discussed how to focus on these violent gangs and criminal activities and embed more NYPD detectives in the federal task force. The 8.3 million people calling our city safe. Keeping New Yorkers is a North Star in our administration and always remains,” the mayor continued.

However, this is not the first time Adams has pledged to change New York City’s sanctuary policy. His office has met with ICE staff for at least nine months to discuss possible paths for cooperation. The ICE Regional Field Director confirmed in May 2024 that his team had “many dialogues” with Adams’ office on how to bypass the city’s sanctuary law.

Adams too I met personally Together with Homan in December, the pair discussed various immigration issues, and the mayor publicly declared that he was considering enforcement actions to trigger more collaboration with federal immigration authorities. It was reportedly discussed at the meeting. Possibility He opened Rikers Island and returned to deportation.

“Well, the city council made it clear they didn’t want to change that,” the mayor mentioned the city’s sanctuary law in December, protecting criminal immigration. “They said they were not willing to change the Sanctuary Urban Act. I think they’re wrong. My team sees their power as an executive order.”

ICE agents have long been able to access Rikers Island to arrest illegal criminal immigrants in a safe and controlled environment, but their privileges were taken away by former Mayor Bill de Blasio. .

De Blasio in 2014 Sign the law bills that primarily prevent the New York Police Department from working with federal immigration authorities, and he The law enacted In 2018, our policy doubled. ICE agents have since been barred from entering Rikers Island, preventing them from assuming custody of illegal immigrants for crimes.

New York City, the country’s largest sanctuary city, is the focus of the national immigration crisis that began under the Biden administration. Adams said Thursday that more than 230,000 immigrants have flocked to the Big Apple since spring 2022, costing the city around $7 billion.

The numerous crimes caused by illegal immigrants living in the city have attracted national attention, including when the group allegedly shopped and beat a New York Police Station (NYPD) officer. Pursuit, Suspicion of rape There are suspected of a 13-year-old girl from Knife Point by illegal immigrants and another rape by an illegal immigrant at Knife Point.

Adams began moving rightward with immigration, at least in rhetoric, amid the asylum crisis and the associated weight of crime in the Big Apple.

Adams consistently points out that he doesn’t want to rewind the Sanctuary Act to a liberal-controlled city council. However, members of the moderate council have accused the mayor of speaking about the issue with little or no continuing, with Adams having the authority to include a referendum on the Sanctuary Act on Voting in November. He pointed out that there was and that he made a decision. Directly in the hands of voters. But he chose not to do so.

“Tough talk is good, but the actions are eloquent,” said Democrat City Council member Robert Holden in December. “The mayor had the opportunity to amend or repeal the Sanctuary City law through his charter revision committee, but he chose not to.”

In a sit-in interview with Homan on Friday, the mayor was asked by Fox News why he didn’t act faster.

“Let’s be clear, I’m not in the way,” Adams said. “I work with a lot of other people I don’t want to work with.”

In response, “Fox and Friends” host Steve Doocy noted that the mayor is only trying to work with Ice now, and that the mayor is vehemently denies it.

“Let’s go back to spring 2022. We were saying we need to get dangerous people out of the streets,” Adams said.

In response, Doucy said, “But it wasn’t happening,” and asked Adams directly if he was helping the ice at the time.

“At the level of an execution criminal case – yes,” Adams argued. “The law says, “Eric, you can’t do that for civil enforcement, but for criminal conduct, that’s right.”

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation regarding the exact order that allows ICE agents to Riker’s Island is signed.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan newswire service that is free to use for legitimate news publishers that can provide large audiences. All republished articles must include logos, reporter signatures and DCNF affiliation. For questions regarding our guidelines or partnerships with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.