Eric Adams meets Trump ‘Border Tsar’ to discuss the ice plan for Rikers Island prison | new York

In a sign of increasing cooperation with Donald Trump’s anti-immigration plans of the Republican administration, Tom Homan, Eric Adams, Tom Homan, met on Thursday with New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams immigrants, especially those who are accused of crimes.

In the two discussions about a controversial topic that they had spoken about in an earlier meeting in December, an office for the federal immigration and customs authority (ICE) was restored in the notorious Rikers Island prison in the city.

The current city law prohibits the ice authorities enforcing immigration from a facility in the property of the city department for corrections, e.g.

Nevertheless, Adams’ office later made an explanation on Thursday afternoon, in which he works with the inscription “We are working on the implementation of an executive regulation that restores the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island – as was the case for 20 years .. “

The ICE office in Rikers was closed in 2015 by the former democratic mayor Bill de Blasio.

Adams’ statement continued: “Instead, ICE agents would specifically concentrate on supporting the office of the correctional facility in their criminal investigations, especially in those who focus on violent criminals and gangs.”

ICE officers have long had a controversial relationship with New York, which restrict the police’s protection laws by enforcing the federal immigration.

Adams said controversy that he favors the loosening of this “sanctuary policy”, but he has no broad power to do this as mayor. He now seems to be intended to change this and fly in view of the current protocols, and also announces the potential for greater cooperation with the Federal Government of the New York police department.

“We have also discussed paths to embed more NYPD detectives in the federal -task Forces and to concentrate on these violent gangs and criminal activities,” said Adams about his meeting with Homan.

Murad Awawdeh, director of the New York immigration coalition, said that the mayor had tried to lead a final run to the local laws, which in an exchange for favors with Trump’s “imprisonment against deportation pipeline”.

“This is a deal with the devil to try to push back the long -standing protective laws and guidelines of our city – guidelines that enable all New York to live freely and at the same time improve public security for everyone. The story will not be friendly to his betrayal of our communities, ”he said, adding that the mayor could expect the resistance to his“ right -wing, dubious ”change of ordinary New York and city laws.

Before the meeting, Adams had declared that he had intended to increase the change of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Wednesday to regain more than 80 million dollars that the city had paid for to protect the costs to cover more homeless migrants.

It is increasingly under strong pressure to work with the immigration of the Trump government, which seems to be an approach of carrots and sticks-with the withdrawal of the money, but at the same time the Ministry of Justice (DOJ) with federal lawyers in Manhattan and commands them, to fall criminal proceedings against Adams.

The mayor has to struggle in the middle of a extensive corruption examination by the federal government, which last September cost him from the most important lieutenants that were accused of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions.

On Monday, the DOJ ordered the Federal Prosecutor’s Office to drop the indictment against Adams in a breathtaking intervention, and explained that it would restrict it from the enforcement of immigration.

This last step of Washington prompted the US lawyer in Manhattan to withdraw with two other top officials on Thursday.

The news that Adams weighs off whether ice was restored to the city’s notorious Rikers Island prison for the first time after the first meeting with Homan in December.

At that time, Homan announced that the New York Post Adams had made “full 180” for immigration policy in order to work with the federal government.

Proponents of the idea say that it would make it easier for the federal agents to have an ice cream facility in prison that is held there before they can be released on the street.

Before the meeting on Thursday, Adams had recently annoyed immigration lawyers after a peaked memo announced that the guidelines made it easier for the ice officers to enter the places of migrant accommodation, churches and hospitals previously designated as sensitive places – just I have to Later after an outcry, part of the political language.

“We will not turn a front worker into Harms and simply arrested by federal officials by simply doing their work” many city agencies.

According to applicable law, the former mayor Bill de Blasio, the police and correction officers in New York City, usually does not cooperate with ice enforcement, and ice cream is prohibited by many locations, except if they have an arrest warrant that has been signed by a judge A serious crime was committed.

“I cannot have an employee in the city who stands in the way (ice) and executes their work as a federal authority. That would be irresponsible for me, ”said Adams last Sunday in an interview with the WABC Latino editions.

Adams has made every effort to make Trump after the election and to build a warm relationship with the Republican in an unlikely alliance.

Proponents say that Adams’ attitude towards sanctuary law seems weak at best.

Awawdeh said Adams’ “dangerous” guideline about access to sensitive locations for ICE to sensitive places “will continue to force families into the shade and simply request countless New Yorkers for prison and deportation for access to basic services”. He asked Adams to completely reverse the guideline or to file a lawsuit.

Many New Yorkers live according to the recent ice attacks, which are reported to at least 100 inhabitants.

It is anything but clear how many convicted criminals have so far been arrested in top -class ice attacks. And on Rikers Island, the vast majority of those held in prison were not convicted of their charges. In August 2023, according to a report of the city liability, 87% of the approximately 6,000 prisoners were before use.

“Since the goals of the Trump government, in New York and in our country to cause panic and fear in our country, to cause during harmful detention, we are more than ever concerned about the continued claims of the mayor that he will try to reset law who have long left our communities to feel safe, ”said Yasmine Farhang, director of interests at the city defense project for immigrants (IDP).

The Ice New York field did not answer inquiries about comments.

“The restoration of the ICE ERO unit (enforcement and distance) at Rikers would enable ERO officials to be field operations, wrote in December on his LinkedIn page.

Discussions about the reopening of Eis at Rikers are “another example for the city that tries to use city resources for the agenda of ICE,” said Rosa Cohen-Cruz, director of immigration policy for the Bronx Defenders Advocacy Group.

Cohen-Cruz pointed out studies such as a study by the University of Texas in Austin from 2022, which showed that the security of the Sanctuary City increases the security of the community, since immigrants are more willing to use government, political systems and important local To employ services.

Cohen-Cruz said that most of Rikers either wait for legal proceedings or are charged with offenses, ice interactions could delay or refuse their rights of due proceedings.

“It really affects communities and creates distrust between communities and state and local actors,” she said. “We would like to make sure immigrants know that they can interact with the government and do not fear that their information will be shared with ice cream,” she said.

The IDP and Bronx defenders ask the city council to adopt a new law that has the right to complain to the individual if they believe that immigration authorities violate their rights.

The Associated Press has contributed the reporting