By Misty Severi
Published: February 13, 2025 7:37pm
New York City's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday he will issue an executive order that will allow federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into Rikers Island to assist in criminal investigations of illegal migrants.
The mayor's announcement comes after he met with President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan, where the pair also reportedly discussed ways to embed local New York police detectives into federal task forces investigating gangs and criminal activities, according to the New York Times.
Homan confirmed that the mayor committed to helping restore a federal presence in Rikers Island prison. But based on a 2014 Sanctuary law, ICE agents are banned from the prison.
However, according to The Times, Adams has found a loophole that will allow him to let them in. A provision in one of the 2014 laws allows him to issue an executive order to allow such access “for purposes unrelated to the enforcement of civil immigration laws.”
Adams called it a necessary step to “remove dangerous people off our streets” and “to root out these gangs.”
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/new-york-city-mayor-issue-executive-order-allowing-ice-agents-rikers-island