Mayor Eric Adams says city won’t be able to help ICE with deportation efforts because of ‘the law’
Mayor Adams said Saturday he won’t be able to assist the feds with President-elect Donald Trump’s massive deportation plan because of NYC’s status as a sanctuary city.
“The law is the law,” declared Adams, when asked by The Post whether the NYPD and the rest of his administration will cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its multi-day ground operations that sources said will begin next week in Chicago and then expand to other cities serving as safe havens for illegal migrants like NYC, San Diego and Denver.
“I answered that over and over again. I’m not going to keep doing the same question over and over again about the cooperation of city agencies,” he added.
Adams refused to clarify what “law” he was referring to, but his office said he was talking about sanctuary city laws he inherited that prohibit the NYPD, Department of Corrections and Department of Probation from cooperating with ICE unless cases involve suspected terrorists or other serious public safety risks.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch echoed Adam’ remarks earlier this week when she told The Post the department “is always going to follow the law.”
“And right now, the law in New York City, basically, is that the Police Department will not assist in civil immigration enforcement,” she said.
“We will obviously continue to work with our federal partners on criminal matters, but a person’s immigration status is not something that we track, and we cannot and will not, by law, participate in civil immigration,” she added.
But one 20-year NYPD veteran said it’s insane the city won’t help federal immigration authorities round up rogue migrants.
‘“I absolutely loathe not helping another law enforcement agency,” said the longtime cop. “I think it’s really unfair.”
“It’s baffling that government officials want to protect immigrants in New York City who are committing crimes against everyday New Yorkers. Why wouldn’t you want these guys to leave? It’s baffling to me.”
Adams has repeatedly called for the sanctuary rules to be loosened, so migrants “suspected” of “serious” crimes could be turned over to ICE — as they once were under sanctuary city policies implemented as early as 1989 under ex-mayors Ed Koch and Michael Bloomberg.
Regulations added in 2014 and 2018 during Bill de Blasio’s time as mayor made it far more difficult for the city to assist ICE.
ICE’s?deportation plan?“Operation Safeguard” is?expected to start Tuesday and?last until the following Monday.?It will target migrants wanted for drug trafficking and violent crimes – especially anyone with criminal cases in their home countries, sources said.
Up to 200 ICE officers will be deployed to carry out immigration raids in Chicago, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. It was unclear Saturday how many extra ICE officers will be coming to the Big Apple and when they’ll arrive.
Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has vowed that the mass deportations will begin on Day 1 on the new administration and focus on illegal immigrants who pose threats to the country.
Meanwhile, NYC resources to care for asylum seekers and other illegal border crossers have been strained to the tune of nearly $7 billion since April 2022, Adams said Saturday.
Additional reporting by Joe Marino.