Adams administration will allow ICE to open office on Rikers Island
The Adams administration is making good on a promise to allow federal immigration agents to open an office on Rikers Island to coordinate investigations of international terrorist groups involved in serious violent crimes.
Mayor Eric Adams has had a number of high profile meetings with the Trump administration's hard-charging border czar, Tom Homan, about ways New York City can legally assist in cracking down on violent criminals from other countries who are here in the city.
"I, as first deputy mayor, have entered an executive order that will re-establish office space on Rikers Island for federal law enforcement authorities to be able to coordinate directly with correction investigators on criminal investigations," First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro told CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer.
NYC first deputy mayor enters executive order for ICE office space at Rikers
Mastro released the following statement Tuesday evening:
"Today, I have entered an executive order to re-establish a federal law enforcement office space at Rikers Island solely for criminal investigations, consistent with New York City law, after Mayor Adams delegated all powers and responsibilities related to this topic to me. This directive is driven by one priority and one priority alone: to keep all New Yorkers safe.
"I came to this decision after making an independent assessment of the facts and law. I have personally visited Rikers Island multiple times since becoming First Deputy Mayor, met with Department of Correction officials, sat with federal law enforcement officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Homeland Security, all of whom said they would welcome the opportunity to work directly with Correction investigators to develop criminal cases and coordinate on criminal investigations of violent transnational criminal gangs, designated as terrorist organizations, that pose a significant threat to our communities.
"Again, this executive order is expressly limited to establishing office space and coordinating with federal law enforcement on criminal investigations, not civil matters. The city had a similar arrangement with federal authorities as recently as a decade ago, but this time, the focus will be exclusively on criminal investigations. Re-establishing such office space on Rikers Island for federal agencies, such as the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, will allow our correctional intelligence bureau to better coordinate on criminal investigations — in particular, those focused on violent transnational criminal gangs — and make our city safer. This is about public safety and protecting all New Yorkers."
A press secretary for the mayor's office said in a statement:
"Keeping New Yorkers safe and ensuring their government works transparently have always been top priorities for Mayor Adams. To maintain trust among the nearly 8.5 million New Yorkers who our administration serves every day, Mayor Adams has delegated all powers and responsibilities related to any executive order to authorize federal officials to investigate potential criminal immigration violations at Rikers Island to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. The first deputy mayor has visited Rikers multiple times over the last week, has consulted with DOC and law enforcement officials, is reviewing the city's options, and would ultimately sign any executive order that he determines to be appropriate."
Executive order complies with sanctuary city laws, first deputy mayor says
The move re-establishes ICE at the prison after a 10-year hiatus.
Mastro says the executive order is carefully written to comply with New York's sanctuary city laws, which allow the city to cooperate with criminal investigations into 170 crimes including murder and rape. City officials are prevented from cooperating in deportations, which are considered civil matters.
A particular target will be international terrorist organizations like MS-13 and others.
"What will this mean? Will it mean that they will be able to target people who are already in prison at Rikers Island?" Kramer asked.
"To be crystal clear, this is about criminal investigations and law enforcement," Mastro said. "This does not involve civil matters at all, and the executive order is carefully, narrowly tailored."
While the mayor himself has spoken with the feds about the need to get those who commit violent crimes out of the city, Mastro says he did his own investigation, meeting with people on Rikers, before signing the executive order.
"These are vicious killers and the worst kind of criminal gangs, and that's why they've been designated as terrorist organizations, so we are doing what we can for the safety of all New Yorkers to cooperate and communicate directly with federal law enforcement," Mastro said.
Mastro says the probes will center on drugs, guns, murders and other violent crimes, and could involve people who are not currently in prison but communicating with those in jail.
Reaction to ICE on Rikers Island
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams released the following statement late Tuesday:
"This executive order is deeply concerning, particularly given Judge Ho's recent ruling on Mayor Adams' corruption case, the attempted quid pro quo, and the series of highly troubling recent events between the Trump administration and our city's mayor. It is hard not to see this action as connected to the dismissal of the Mayor's case and his willingness to cooperate with Trump's extreme deportation agenda that is removing residents without justification or due process. The mayor's decision to compromise the City's sovereignty, threaten chaos, and risk harm to our families ultimately resulted in the resignation of four deputy mayors.
"As we have made abundantly clear, Local Law 58 of 2014 has clear guidelines that prohibit the use of office space on Rikers for the enforcement of civil immigration enforcement. The Council is closely reviewing the order, and is prepared to defend against violations of the law to protect the safety of all New Yorkers."
New York Civil Liberties Union senior policy counsel Zach Ahmad released the following statement:
"By giving ICE the keys to Rikers Island, the Adams administration is once again selling out New Yorkers for Trump's dangerous deportation regime.
"This needless concession and the supposed limits on ICE's role at Rikers are just an attempt to provide cover for ICE's cruel agenda. Under the guise of public safety, the Trump administration has so far arrested and detained parents of young children, students, and farmworkers, and has sought to use a wartime power, the Alien Enemies Act, to deport without due process.
"It's worth repeating that ICE's presence on Rikers serves no legitimate purpose, and opens the door to unlawful collusion between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials in violation of our city's well-established sanctuary protections. In fact, crime in New York City is down — and there was never any evidence that a surge in crime was caused by immigrants.
"New Yorkers see this for what it is: Mayor Adams skirting the City Council, cozying up to Trump, and putting immigrant New Yorkers in harm's way."
Read the executive order
Rikers Island Executive Order by CBSNewYork Scribd on Scribd
