Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said he would issue an executive order to amend the city’s sanctuary laws during a fiery 10-minute press conference that followed his meeting with Tom Homan, the incoming ‘border czar’ for the Trump administration.
The mayor began his remarks by accusing the press and others of distorting his comments. In recent weeks, Adams has suggested that undocumented New Yorkers are not entitled to due process. He later walked back the statement. He said on Thursday that the city would not be a “safe haven” for those who have “committed crimes,” but neglected to specify whether he was referring to people who had been convicted of a crime, or just charged with one.
“About 170 crimes currently allow us to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a conviction,” he said, referring to the circumstances in the city’s sanctuary laws that allow local officials to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. “We need to examine them.”
Adams, who’s faced repeated questions about his stance on sanctuary laws, has been unclear about exactly what additional crimes and circumstances he believes should allow city officials to cooperate with federal immigration officials. On Thursday, he mentioned using executive orders to target repeat offenders.
Many Democrats, including challengers seeking to unseat the mayor, have attacked Adams as being anti-immigrant and seeking President-elect Donald Trump’s legal favor while battling federal corruption charges.
“Today, as Mayor Adams talks with Trump’s border czar, New Yorkers are left wondering: is his goal at the meeting to advocate for us or to advance his own personal agenda and curry favor to get a pardon?” wrote Scott Stringer, a Democratic mayoral challenger, on X.
The post contained a list of compiled statements from Adams over the years that showed conflicting stances on immigration and Trump.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate, also attacked Adams for making…
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