New York City Mayor Eric Adams doubled down on his announcement that he wants to reform the city’s sanctuary law to allow police to assist federal agents in deporting criminal immigrants.
He also confirmed that he will meet with incoming border czar Tom Homan later this week or next week.
“I believe we need to modify our existing law, as I stated,” Adams said at a press conference on Dec. 3 at City Hall.
Sanctuary laws prevent police and city employees from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests in most cases, shielding illegal immigrants from deportation.
The mayor has expressed frustration with being unable to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
“I’m open to anything to get criminals out of our city,” he said.
Adams said his meeting with Homan is part of an effort to work with the incoming Trump administration.
“Yes, I reached out to [Homan] and shared that we would like to sit down and speak with them to hear what are his ideas,” Adams said. “You know, because I don’t want people talking at each other. I want people to talk to each other.
“And I made it clear that I’m not going to be warring with this administration. I’m going to be working with this administration. President Trump is the president-elect, and whomever he chooses to run his agencies, I’m looking forward to sit down and see how we better New York.”
Homan, a former acting director of ICE, is known for his tough border policies and advocacy of deporting illegal immigrants, particularly criminals and those who have been issued a deportation order by a federal judge.
Asked how much the city would cooperate with ICE, Adams said, “I’m not going to speculate on what the plans are ... I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are, where our common grounds are. We can work together.”
New York City has already spent $6.4 billion on its 220,000 recently arrived illegal immigrants.
“The long-term impact of that $6.4 billion has not materialized yet,” Adams said.
“Migrants, asylum seekers and others. They want to work,“ Adams said. ”They want to participate in the American dream. And we need to find a way for them to do that.
“The American people should not be going through this. And the migrants and asylum seekers should not be going through this.”
