New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with Thomas D. Homan, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s incoming “border czar,” on Thursday. The two discussed the Trump administration’s border policy and how the city can work with federal officials to remove illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in the city.
Over the last year, Adams has engaged in a significant shit regarding his stance on illegal immigration and New York City’s status as a sanctuary city. The Democrat mayor, who once touted his city as a protector of illegal immigrants, now says the sanctuary law should be changed.
“We should not be allowing people who are repeatedly committing crimes to remain here, and we cannot collaborate with ICE in the process,” Adams said in February, blaming the New York City’s sanctuary status for his inability to crack down on surging migrant crime.
In his conversation on Thursday with Homan, Mayor Adams has indicated a willingness to support federal efforts to apprehend immigrants accused of crimes, emphasizing his viewpoint that due process rights should not extend to criminals who have entered the country without legal permission. He later clarified during a press conference that his remarks were directed at those immigrants identified as repeat offenders, emphasizing: “We are not going to be a safe haven to those who commit violent acts.”
However, despite Adams signaling a willingness to work with the Trump administration, his own city government is already undertaking efforts to hamper Homan’s deportation operation. The National Pulse reported earlier this week that New York City is moving to shutter a large tent complex used to shelter illegal immigrants at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. As the facility is built on federal land, city officials fear the estimated 2,000 migrants at the facility lack protection from immigration enforcement operations.
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