Mayor Adams says he will change the sanctuary by executive order after the border czar meeting

Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday during a heated 10-minute news conference following his meeting with Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s new “border czar,” that he would issue an executive order changing the city’s sanctuary laws.

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 have no right to due process. He later withdrew the statement. He said Thursday that the city is not a “safe haven” for those who “have committed crimes,” but neglected to specify whether he was referring to people convicted of a crime or just charged with a crime.

“For about 170 crimes, we are currently able to communicate and cooperate with ICE after a conviction,” he said, citing circumstances in the city’s sanctuary laws that allow local officials to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We need to examine her.”

Adams, who has faced repeated questions about his stance on sanctuary laws, was not specific about what additional crimes and circumstances he believes should allow city officials to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. On Thursday he mentioned that he was using orders to combat repeat offenders.

Many Democrats, including challengers seeking to unseat the mayor, have attacked Adams as anti-immigrant and seeking President-elect Donald Trump’s legal favor as he battles federal corruption allegations.

“As Mayor Adams speaks with Trump’s border czar today, New Yorkers are wondering: Is his goal in the meeting to advocate for us, or to further his own personal agenda and seek a pardon?” wrote Scott Stringer, a Democratic mayor -Challenger, on X.

The post included a list of compiled statements from Adams over the years that showed conflicting viewpoints on immigration and Trump.

State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate, also attacked Adams for making divisive comments, such as his claim that the refugee crisis would “destroy” the city. She also accused Adams of “acquiescing” to the new administration in hopes of a pardon.

Speaking to a reporter in Washington, Rep. Dan Goldman, a Manhattan Democrat but not a known challenger, echoed Adams’ rhetoric about undocumented immigrants. “The mayor in particular should understand the importance of due process and innocence until proven guilty.”

The comments seemed to upset Adams.

“I think this entire narrative has been hijacked,” he said. “There is a great deal of distortion. People are trying to push their own agenda.”

At the same press conference, Adams cited a factually distorted talking point prominently used by Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.

“We have 500,000 kids who have sponsors in this country that we can’t find,” Adams said. “We can’t find her. We don’t know if they are doing child labor. We don’t know if they commit sex crimes. We don’t know if they were exploited. 500,000 children.”

Trump and Vance made similar comments during the campaign, which the Associated Press described as a misrepresentation of Department of Homeland Security statistics. Vance said in October that the department had “lost” more than 300,000 children, when in reality a slightly smaller number had not been ordered to appear in court.

As Adams changes his stance on immigration, the city’s sanctuary laws appear increasingly under threat. They date back to the 1980s and were intended to allay the fears of undocumented immigrants about using city services, reporting crimes or going to a hospital.

In 2014, the city updated laws to ensure that undocumented residents accused of crimes are afforded the constitutional right to due process. The policy created a list of 170 serious crimes for which city officials can turn undocumented New Yorkers over to federal authorities, but they must be convicted – and only if a judge signs a warrant allowing the person to be detained.

The mayor’s proposed expansion of the list could result in more undocumented New Yorkers at risk of deportation, but he did not elaborate on what he might add.

“Once we fully understand this, we will report on it,” Adams said.