New York City council member Robert Holden (D) challenged Mayor Eric Adams (D) to back up his “tough talk” with action concerning the city’s sanctuary policies.
On Wednesday, Holden called for Adams to reopen the Immigration and Customs Enforcement outpost at Rikers Island, facilitating easier coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers.
‘Mayor Adams should reopen the ICE office at Rikers Island.’
Adams has faced criticism for waffling on his stance regarding sanctuary policies. Although the mayor insists he does not advocate for the deportation of law-abiding illegal aliens, he has intensified discussions about removing those accused of violent offenses.
While Adams has acknowledged that the city’s sanctuary status has shielded criminal illegal immigrants from ICE, he argues that his hands are largely tied since the policies can be revised only by the city council.
On Tuesday, the mayor dared the left to “cancel” him over his commitment to work with the incoming Trump administration to facilitate the deportation of criminal illegal aliens.
Adams also noted that the city’s taxpayers have doled out more than $6.4 billion to provide services to over 200,000 migrants.
“We all should be angry at what happened to our city under this administration,” Adams declared, referring to President Joe Biden’s administration.
“Cancel me, because I’m going to protect the people of this city,” Adams remarked.
Last week, Holden encouraged his fellow Democratic peers to rethink their position on sanctuary policies, arguing that they are “shielding” criminal illegal immigrants from ICE.
In a letter to Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), and other city and state leaders, he pressed for the termination of sanctuary jurisdictions within New York.
Holden has applauded President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, for vowing to hold local leaders responsible for thwarting ICE’s efforts with sanctuary policies.
On Wednesday, Holden challenged Adams to make good on his promise to cooperate with Trump’s deportation efforts.
“Tough talk is good, but actions speak louder,” Holden remarked. “The mayor had the chance to amend or repeal sanctuary city laws through his Charter Revision Commission but chose not to. Now, it’s time to right these wrongs.”
“To truly show commitment to public safety, Mayor Adams should reopen the ICE office at Rikers Island and give the NYPD, [Department of Corrections], [Department of Probation] the ability to communicate with ICE and honor detainers for criminal migrants,” he said.
A spokesperson for Adams responded to Holden’s comments, advising that he redirect his efforts toward convincing council members to reverse the sanctuary policies.
“Mayor Adams has repeatedly said that while we will continue to respect our city’s sanctuary laws, we must also have a serious conversation about the small number of individuals who repeatedly commit violent crimes in our city and the consequences they should face,” the spokesperson said. “We must also fix this nation’s unsuccessful border policies that have led us to this place.”
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