As Home Republicans used the stage of a Congressional listening to to bash the function of sanctuary cities in defending migrant rights, New York Mayor Adams took a grilling from fellow Democrats over President Trump’s efforts to get Adams corruption case dismissed.
The representatives hammered the mayor on what they characterised as a corrupt settlement with the president in trade for Adams’ cooperation in finishing up Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Are you selling out New Yorkers to save yourself from prosecution?” Rep. Robert Garcia of California requested.
“There’s no deal, there’s no quid pro quo,” Adams replied after conferring together with his lawyer. “I did nothing wrong.”
Through the five-hour assembly, members of the GOP-led committee took turns grilling Adams, in addition to the mayors of Boston, Chicago and Denver, on sanctuary metropolis legal guidelines, which block native regulation enforcement in sure circumstances from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on immigration issues.
Republicans argued that the Democratic mayors are creating protected havens for harmful criminals and violating federal regulation with their sanctuary metropolis standing – with Rep. Nancy Mace going as far to inform the mayors “you all have blood on your hands” due to crimes by undocumented immigrants.
The mayors largely defended the insurance policies beneath questioning from GOP leaders, and Adams mentioned sanctuary legal guidelines are essential so as to guarantee residents can entry essential assets. However he additionally made clear he needs to cooperate with feds to go after migrants who’ve dedicated crimes.
“To be clear: A sanctuary city classification does not mean our city will ever be a safe haven for violent criminals,” he mentioned. “It also does not give New York City the authority to violate federal immigration laws.”
Beneath questioning, Adams mentioned he was open to creating adjustments to the legal guidelines to the extent that he’s ready.
That stance was welcomed by a number of Republican committee members — although Democrats noticed it in another way.
New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams arrives to testify throughout a Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee listening to on sanctuary cities’ insurance policies on the U.S. Capitol on March 5, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Picture by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Pictures)
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) requested the mayor repeatedly whether or not he had ever spoken about his case with Trump or officers in his administration. Adams didn’t straight reply that query, as an alternative responding that the case was earlier than a federal decide.
“I think Mayor Adams is not answering the question, because he probably has,” Subramanyam mentioned. He known as the association “public extortion.”
Justice Division officers argued in court docket filings final month that Adams may higher help the president’s immigration agenda if his case was dropped.
That transfer set off a heated week between the prosecutors within the case and the Division of Justice — with seven legal professionals with Manhattan U.S. Legal professional’s workplace resigning from their posts after being requested to place their weight behind a proper request to dismiss the case. 4 high deputies within the Adams administration additionally submitted their resignations within the aftermath.
Even Laura Gillen, a Lengthy Island Democrat who gained her seat in November on a tough-on-immigration platform, known as on the mayor to resign; she additionally lambasted him for his dealing with of the migrant disaster.
“Thank god you do not live in New York City,” Adams mentioned to Gillen.
In distinction to the cruel traces of questioning from his fellow Democrats, representatives from the opposite facet of the aisle have been extra sympathetic to the mayor, some praising Adams and holding him up for example to the opposite mayors.
“You have publicly stated that you were willing to work with ICE on detaining the most criminal illegals and I will publicly thank you for that,” Comer mentioned in his opening remarks.
The mayors of Chicago, Boston and Denver have been subjected to harder grilling. Every emphasised public security and declines in crime as they have been questioned by Republican members who painted an image of rampant criminality within the sanctuary cities.
New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams testifies throughout a Home Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform listening to titled “A Hearing with Sanctuary City Mayors,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 5, 2025. (Picture by SAUL LOEB/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, requested a sequence of wierd questions of the mayors, together with if the panel “hated the president more than you love your country” and if they’d do time for breaking unspecified federal legal guidelines.
“I’m not gonna violate federal law so I don’t have to worry about that,” Adams replied.
Through the listening to, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, tweeted in assist of Adams, calling Garcia’s accusation that Adams offered out his constituents “disgusting.”
“Mayor Adams is trying to protect New Yorkers from violent illegal aliens,” Homan wrote. “He is trying to protect the NYPD from being attacked by illegal aliens.”
Folks protest in opposition to ICE and anti-migrant insurance policies exterior Manhattan Federal Courtroom on Jan. 29. (Barry Williams/ New York Every day Information)
The mayor met every day together with his authorized, communications and intergovernmental groups for the 2 weeks main as much as the assembly, his spokesperson Kayla Mamelak mentioned.
He traveled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday forward of the assembly and was accompanied by a number of members of his communications crew, his chief counsel deputy mayors Camille Joseph Varlack and Tiffany Raspberry.
The tone for the marathon listening to was set forward of time with a video that includes a burning U.S. Structure, clips of a Instances Sq. migrant brawl with cops and lots of of migrants ready exterior the Roosevelt Lodge shelter.
“Let’s be clear, these policies only create sanctuary for criminals,” committee chair Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, mentioned.
🚨 BREAKING: Boston, Chicago, Denver, NYC Sanctuary Mayors to Be Held Publicly Accountable on March 5 pic.twitter.com/ANujXq9tBm
Whereas Adams ready to testify earlier than the listening to on the U.S. Capitol, his challengers in June’s mayoral major gathered on the steps of New York Metropolis Corridor to decry his push to undo a number of the metropolis’s sanctuary protections and his dedication to work with Trump on immigration enforcement.
Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s working in opposition to the mayor, famous research present sanctuary jurisdictions are likely to have decrease crime charges than non-sanctuary jurisdictions resulting from an elevated willingness amongst immigrant communities to report crimes and work together with regulation enforcement.
“We can’t have a mayor who takes orders from Donald Trump,” Lander mentioned.
Mayor Eric Adams (far proper) meets with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan (far left) and native federal regulation enforcement officers in Manhattan, New York on Feb. 13. (Ed Reed / Mayoral Pictures Workplace)
With Chris Sommerfeldt
Initially Printed: March 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM EST
