NYC Mayor Eric Adams meets with Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportation intensified Thursday as New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with incoming “border czar” Tom Homan.
Critics are worried Adams will ultimately go too far in cooperating with the Trump administration’s plan to deport migrants and alter New York’s status as a sanctuary city.
“We’re going to protect the rights of immigrants in the city that are hard-working, giving back to the city in a real way. We’re not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and long-standing New Yorkers,” Adams said.
Adams has high-stakes meeting with incoming “border czar”
Adams and Homan spent several hours talking border policy. Homan was selected to manage the flow of migrants into the U.S. and handle the deportation of migrants he doesn’t think should be in the country.
Michael Appleton / AP
While the fate of the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter, which sits on federal land, was up for discussion, Adams also wanted to know whether the federal government plans on setting up deportation centers in New York.
Homan has said the biggest mass deportation program in U.S. history will begin just after Trump takes office.
“We’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois. If your Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside,” Homan told a crowd in Chicago earlier this week. “But if he impedes us — if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien — I will prosecute him.”
After their meeting at Gracie Mansion, the mayor met the press alone.
“Our legal team is vetting. Do we have the authorization to sit down and speak with ICE legal team to operationalize what both our desires are, and once we get that approval, then we will give you a complete layout on how it’s going to work,” Adams said.
Adams said that he and Homan agree people with a criminal history don’t belong in New York or the U.S.
“I’ve never lied about the agenda. I’ve never been, you know, slick about my agenda, keeping New Yorkers safe,” Adams said.
Previously, the mayor told CBS News New York’s Marcia Kramer he would like to improve cooperation with the feds, but the City Council is against it. He said he is having lawyers explore the possibility of issuing an executive order to get around the council and even change the sanctuary city laws.
As Adams has faced criticism over his handling of the city’s migrant crisis, he has argued federal cooperation is necessary to ease the strain on city resources and has emphasized the need for a balanced approach.
“I made it cleat that I’m not going to be warring with his administration, I’m going to be working with his administration,” he told Kramer.
Under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the NYPD worked out a limited cooperation agreement with federal officials to deport undocumented immigrants who commit some 170 crimes. Adams said he’s studying new ways to implement that agreement.
Protest against Tom Homan’s visit
Adams sought the high-stakes meeting with Homan as other elected officials demanded President Joe Biden take actions to protect migrants from President-elect Trump and the mayor.
“Is the mayor going to stand up for a constitutional due process or is he so hungry for a pardon for his own due process that he is going to throw New Yorkers under the bus?” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democratic who is also running for mayor.
Faith and community leaders joined immigrant New Yorkers for a rally outside City Hall to denounce the meeting, saying they are worried it signals the city’s willingness to align with the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“Mayor Adams, as we know, has already been indicted. I think Mayor Adams is playing footsie in order to get himself off the hook and get himself pardoned,” said Dr. Steve Auerback, with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.
“He should be protecting all New Yorkers, including immigrant communities,” said Jennifer Hernandez, with Make the Road New York.
Trump was also in New York City on Thursday to ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.
