The Metropolis Council empowered itself Thursday to sue Mayor Adams over his choice to let ICE brokers function on Rikers Island, arguing the transfer is “the poisonous fruit” of a deal the mayor has been accused of constructing with President Trump’s administration to get his corruption case dropped.
In a virtually unanimous voice vote, the chamber handed a decision giving Speaker Adrienne Adams the authority to sue the mayor on behalf of your entire Council over the manager order town issued earlier this week to permit ICE brokers to arrange an workplace on Rikers.
The chief order says Adams’ administration will solely allow ICE to pursue prison enforcement investigations on Rikers focusing on undocumented immigrants accused of significant offenses like homicide and rape, leaving a prohibition on civil immigration enforcement on the island intact.
An ICE agent seen on June 6, 2023 in Manhattan. (Picture by David Dee Delgado/Getty Pictures)
However the Council decision, penned by the speaker, alleges Trump’s administration “cannot be trusted to limit their actions to criminal enforcement,” pointing to latest situations by which ICE has detained and deported harmless individuals, even U.S. residents.
To that finish, the decision says the manager order might stand to violate a 2014 sanctuary metropolis legislation that kicked ICE off Rikers by outlawing civil immigration enforcement on the island.
The decision additionally says the mayor, with the manager order, is flouting battle of curiosity legal guidelines prohibiting public servants from “taking official action for personal gain, such as the dismissal of criminal charges,” a reference to how the Trump Justice Division killed his corruption case final week after urgent him to help Trump’s “mass deportation” agenda.
“The public record demonstrates that Mayor Adams only changed his mind on this issue and announced that he wanted to open an office for federal immigration authorities as part of a corrupt bargain to end the federal criminal prosecution against him,” reads the decision, which additionally describes the order as “the poisonous fruit of Mayor Adams’ corrupt deal” with Trump’s staff.
In searching for dismissal, Trump DOJ officers made clear they anticipated quashing the case would allow the mayor to assist the president goal undocumented New Yorkers for “mass deportations” — an association that has led many to consider the mayor’s beholden to the president’s agenda.
Earlier than the indictment was formally dropped, Trump immigration “czar” Tom Homan even went on stay tv and advised Adams — who has denied a quid professional quo — that he’d be “up his butt” if he didn’t comply with by way of on letting ICE again on Rikers. Whereas the federal government initially sought to dismiss the case with out prejudice, that means the fees could possibly be reinstated, it was ultimately fully dropped.
Greater than 7,000 individuals, together with immigrants, are incarcerated on Rikers. Most of them are awaiting trial and haven’t been convicted of any crimes.
Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams speaks on the Thursday rally outdoors Metropolis Corridor. (Barry Williams/ New York Every day Information)
Speaker Adams, who’s operating for mayor this yr, wouldn’t say earlier than Thursday’s vote how quickly the Council might file a lawsuit or whether or not any authorized motion would deal with alleged sanctuary legislation violations, battle of curiosity points, or some mixture of each.
Although the decision doesn’t point out it, the speaker mentioned the Council can also be whether or not to sue the mayor for letting Randy Mastro, his new first deputy mayor, signal the manager order, telling reporters that is probably not authorized, both. Moreover, she confirmed the decision empowers the Council to probably sue Trump administration along with the mayor.
“We’re taking a look at all of this right now,” the speaker mentioned.
Civil rights teams, together with the Authorized Support Society, have mentioned they’re contemplating authorized motion in opposition to Adams’ administration over the manager order, too. The Council would have the ability to tag onto such a swimsuit because the decision empowers the Council to file amicus briefs on the Rikers concern.
Underneath the manager order, ICE should enter into authorized agreements with Adams’ administration promising to not interact in civil immigration enforcement.
Earlier than the Council vote, Mastro declined repeatedly to say whether or not ICE will face penalties in the event that they violate such an settlement, solely saying “that isn’t going to happen.”
“It disrespects some pretty great public servants … to even ask the question when it’s not going to happen,” Mastro advised reporters at Metropolis Corridor.
The Rikers Island jail advanced. (AP Picture/Seth Wenig, File)
If the Council sues the administration, Mastro mentioned he’s “confident that we will win” after which described the order as an “unassailably good thing” just like efforts by federal prosecutors to interrupt up the mafia in New York.
“This is very much akin to what we did in the 1980s to break the mafia stranglehold over parts of our city,” mentioned Mastro, a onetime high aide to ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani appointed as Adams’ new first deputy final month.
Mastro made the mafia reference after saying the order will assist the feds go after members of “terrorist organizations” incarcerated on Rikers. He declined to say what number of such people are on Rikers or what intelligence his assertion is predicated on.
Mastro did say he has discovered the island homes members of Tren De Aragua, a Venezuelan gang Trump not too long ago designated as a terrorist group. That designation has raised concern from immigration advocates who allege it’s getting used to illegally goal swaths of Venezuelans for rapid deportation with out due course of.
Adams first introduced on Feb. 13 — two days after Trump’s Justice Division first moved to dismiss his corruption case — that he would concern an government order to let ICE again on Rikers.
An indication denouncing Mayor Adams seen at Thursday’s press convention outdoors Metropolis Corridor. (Barry Williams/ New York Every day Information)
On Tuesday, Mastro formally signed the order. That got here a few week after Trump’s Justice Division secured the dismissal of Adams’ indictment.
In a rally outdoors Metropolis Corridor earlier than Thursday’s vote, Speaker Adams mentioned she believes the mayor let Mastro signal the order in an effort to “hide” from the optics that he’s doing Trump’s bidding.
“But [the mayor] told us the decision was made by him while he was cozying up to Tom Homan,” she mentioned. “The mayor has compromised the city’s serenity, and as a result, our families and communities are being put at risk.”
Initially Printed: April 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM EDT
