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New York—Today, the ICE Out! NYC Coalition, Shut Rikers Campaign, New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Make the Road Action, Bronx Defenders, the Immigrant Defense Project, the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, elected officials, immigrants and people directly impacted by detention at Rikers held a rally and press conference outside City Hall to denounce an executive order issued by the Mayor on Tuesday allowing ICE to establish an office within Rikers Island jail.
On Tuesday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams' administration announced the opening of an ICE office on Rikers Island. ICE has not operated at Rikers Island since 2014, when Local Law 58 was enacted. New York City laws - created by the City Council over a decade ago - are clear: our city cannot and must not be in the business of deportation, and instead our city agencies must build trust with immigrants so they can serve all New Yorkers. Rikers Island has a long and documented history of violence, abuse, and mismanagement. Under Mayor Adams, the conditions at Rikers have worsened, and in the last six weeks, five incarcerated people have died at Rikers.
Thirty New York City Council Members as well as the Public Advocate, the Comptroller, the Brooklyn Borough President, the Manhattan Borough President, and the Queens Borough President sent a letter to the Mayor condemning the executive order, calling for it to be rescinded and related documents turned over, and standing by NYC sanctuary laws.
The rally was streamed on Instagram Live
“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,” said NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, District 28.
"The Adams Administration's Executive Order completes Eric Adams' quid pro quo with Donald Trump and his betrayal of New York City. This EO co-signs the most authoritarian actions taken by the Trump Administration: disappearing our neighbors without due process. The vast majority of the population on Rikers—87%—are people who have been accused of crimes and are awaiting their day in court. Permitting ICE to open an office on Rikers Island does nothing to make New Yorkers safer—instead, it welcomes Trump's blatant infringement of our constitutional rights and funnels more people into his mass deportation machine,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
"The mayor has long looked for every opportunity to expand collaboration with ICE – whether it was his own position or Donald Trump’s. By misleading the public about our sanctuary policies, he’s attempting to make it more acceptable to chip away at them and deport more immigrant New Yorkers, regardless of criminality or 'illegality.' This mayor has already demonstrated a willingness to ignore laws he doesn’t like, especially on Rikers, and this latest example is nothing more than an attempt to aid the Trump deportation machine that rips immigrant families from their homes and students from their campuses,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.
"New York City is an immigrant city and always has been. Our economy, cultural footprint, and vibrancy can all be attributed to the immigrant communities that make us whole. That's why the City Council has a history of creating strong sanctuary city protections that have served every working-class New Yorker for decades. But the wealthy will always serve their own interests first—from Donald Trump to Eric Adams, our leaders are inflicting draconian mass deportation policies on us for their own personal gain. Our public safety institutions only work if all New Yorkers feel comfortable accessing them. But they can't while knowing Eric Adams is using the city's resources to serve the federal deportation agenda. The City Council will not sit by and let New Yorkers who have not been convicted of any crimes be deported rapidly without so much as due process. It defies our constitutional rights and our city's laws, so it cannot continue,” said Chair of the NYC Council’s Immigration Committee Alexa Avilés, District 38.
“Mayor Adams may have issued this order but it's Trump pulling the strings. Everyone deserves and is guaranteed legal due process in our country, and allowing ICE unfettered access to Rikers not only undermines our sanctuary city laws, but it also paves the way for more constitutional violations, more disappearances, and more harm. The Mayor should care as much about legal due process for others as he did for his own legal issues, and he needs to rescind this executive order immediately,” said Chair of the NYC Council’s Criminal Justice Committee Sandy Nurse, District 37.
“I am appalled by Mayor Adams’ executive order permitting ICE to reopen an office on Rikers Island. This is a direct assault on our sanctuary city laws and a shameful betrayal of the rule of law. Local Law 58 was passed to end the targeting of immigrant New Yorkers by federal enforcement, especially in a jail system plagued by abuse and neglect. Reintroducing ICE into that setting is not just reckless — it is morally bankrupt. I represent an immigrant community in the Bronx, and I know firsthand the fear and trauma that ICE presence brings into our neighborhoods. New York is a city of immigrants — we thrive because of our diversity, not in spite of it. This executive order continues to reek of a quid pro quo, trading away the rights and lives of vulnerable immigrant New Yorkers. We must call this what it is: a dangerous erosion of civil liberties, due process, and democracy itself. I stand with my colleagues and communities in demanding its immediate reversal,” said Council Member Pierina Sánchez, District 14.
“Eric Adams’ decision to return ICE to Rikers Island, in my Council District, is despicable. ICE has been violating constitutional rights, disappearing people to foreign prison camps, locking up third graders, and terrorizing all our communities. Now Eric Adams wants ICE to use New York taxpayer dollars to unleash Trump’s heinous deportation agenda in my District, upon a part of our community that is vulnerable, being denied sufficient legal representation and resources, locked in a jail known for human rights violations, and still innocent until proven guilty. New York’s sanctuary city policies are not only the law, they keep us all safe. Study after study proves: immigrants are good for America. Immigrant New Yorkers enrich our culture and strengthen our economy. And sanctuary cities are safer than non-sanctuary cities. New York City remains a sanctuary city. But Mayor Adams’ open invitation to ICE strips away our proud history of affording all New Yorkers the due process they deserve. Eric Adams is endangering our communities and our rights — all while making New York taxpayers foot the bill. It is unacceptable,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán, District 22.
"Mayor Adams' continues to attack our status as a sanctuary city in his attempts to woo President Trump— most recently by allowing ICE back onto Rikers, in violation of city law. This executive order flies directly in the face of laws enacted by the City Council years ago. We will not enable an abusive federal immigration system. We will not enable Trump’s prejudicial anti-immigrant and mass deportation agenda. We will not undermine our communities’ trust in reporting crimes, without fear of deportation. We will not risk due process. No one is safer for this. Mayor Adams must rescind this order,” said Council Member Shekar Krishnan, District 25.
“The return of ICE to Rikers Island signals Mayor Adams’ compliance with Trump’s cruel deportation agenda under the illusion of public safety. We cannot give ICE the keys to Rikers and allow them to violate the constitutional rights of immigrant New Yorkers. Let me be clear, Mayor Adams’ attempt to circumvent NYC’s sanctuary laws will not make our city safer. It will erode the trust that our city agencies and local law enforcement have bilt with immigrant communities since the Council passed Local Law 58 over a decade ago. This Executive Order undermines the very basic principles of due process and we will do everything in our power to protect the safety of all New Yorkers,” said Council Member Julie Won, District 26.
“New Yorkers have always stood up to protect our neighbors from ICE — but Mayor Adams is once again selling out our city to save himself. Allowing ICE to operate on Rikers Island is a blatant violation of our sanctuary city laws and a dangerous escalation of criminalization. Most people on Rikers haven’t been convicted of a crime — this isn’t about public safety, it’s about fear and deportation. In some cases, Adams is sending people to their deaths. We won’t stop fighting until New York City is no longer complicit in Donald Trump’s crimes against humanity,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, District 34.
“Mayor Adams’s collaboration with President Trump’s family separation agenda is an insult to our city. It’s shameful to watch him prioritize his personal interests over the wellbeing of the New Yorkers. The Executive Order to bring ICE back onto Rikers Island is a clear product of the deal he struck with the White House to get the charges against him dropped. The consequences of his selfishness are dire. New Yorkers who have not been convicted of a crime and are simply awaiting trial on Rikers are at serious risk of being detained and deported by ICE. This is an egregious violation of our fundamental due process rights and local sanctuary city laws. I’m proud to be part of a City Council that is working with our community partners to do everything we can to fight back against this abuse of power,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif, District 39.
“For centuries, immigrants have built the economy and culture of New York City – and for years, our sanctuary laws and policies have protected immigrant New Yorkers from ICE’s predatory enforcement practices. While Trump is detaining and disappearing people across the country without due process, Mayor Adams and his administration is rolling out the welcome mat for violating New Yorkers’ civil rights with impunity. Adams is making a runaround on the City’s longstanding sanctuary laws – public safety measures that make New York safer for everyone – and attacking the very ideals that make New York the greatest city in the world. Now is time for New York’s elected officials to stand firm in protecting our immigrant families, as our Mayor has once again proved he is unwilling to. We will work with the NYC City Council with urgency to fight this," said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.
"This city urgently needs leadership that fights for and protects Black and Brown New Yorkers from the violence being unleashed by a racist fascist broligarchy hell bent on destroying our loved ones. Instead, the disgraced Mayor Adams continues to bow down and kiss Trump's golf shoes, betraying the very people he was elected to serve. He has already capitulated to racist conservatives, and now he invites ICE back into Rikers Island—putting our communities in harm’s way and stripping away protections. New Yorkers kicked ICE out of Rikers years ago to make the city safer (and it has) and to stop the city from acting as an accomplice to the separation of families. Mayor Adams has sacrificed Black and Brown New Yorkers in exchange for the dismissal of his corruption case. He trades the city’s safety, dignity, and future to secure his place among those who despise us. We say no! We will not be sacrificed. We will not be bartered. Our lives are not bargaining chips, and we refuse to stand by while our communities are sold out for the mayor's gain, " said Nana Gyamfi, Executive Director, Black Alliance for Justice Immigration.
"The City Council made the decision to remove ICE from Rikers Island more than a decade ago because they understood that ICE's presence there undermined due process and equal access to justice. This executive order reopens the door to ICE’s abuse of vulnerable New Yorkers. We know firsthand how ICE used Rikers to tear families apart, and how city agencies have violated the law in collusion with them. New Yorkers deserve better than this — they deserve to be protected from these dangerous, misguided policies. The Bronx Defenders proudly stands with City Council Members today to tell Mayor Adams that we will fight back,” said Rosa Cohen-Cruz, Immigration Policy Director, The Bronx Defenders.
“As public defenders, we see on a daily basis how ICE enforcement violates peoples’ rights, separates families, and unlawfully detains people in dangerous conditions in locations far from their communities. New York City has long recognized that sanctuary laws make all New Yorkers safer and that city agencies should not be in the business of collaborating with ICE. Allowing ICE back on Rikers flies in the face of these principles and undermines New Yorkers’ constitutional rights. We stand alongside elected officials, immigrant New Yorkers, and advocates in support of all New Yorkers’ rights, in condemning the Mayor’s Executive Order,” said Lucas Marquez, Director of Civil Rights and Law Reform, Brooklyn Defenders.
"Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC condemns the Mayor’s executive order allowing ICE to reopen an office at Rikers Island. This decision puts immigrant New Yorkers in direct danger and deepens the crisis in a jail where people are already dying. Rikers is known for its violence and allowing ICE back in only adds fear and harm. New York City sanctuary policies were put in place to limit collaboration with ICE and protect our immigrant communities. This order ignores these protections and moves our city backwards. We stand with our partners to demand that local leaders act quickly to stop this and defend the rights and safety of all New Yorkers,” said Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC.
“Critical Resistance NYC denounces the new executive order allowing ICE to operate out of Rikers, a collaboration that will categorically endanger New Yorkers and further delay the closure of the penal colony. This executive order signals a horrific escalation in violence against all New Yorkers by empowering police-ICE collusion and strengthening the arrest to deportation pipeline. Rikers Island is notorious for correctional violence, medical neglect, and systematic abuse -- it is no place for anyone, let alone for migrants being targeted by ICE. Deputy Mayor Tom Mastro and Mayor Adams’ decision to continue bending towards the Trump administration's carceral, ethnonationalist regime shows that spinelessness and cruelty are the norm in city hall. In allowing ICE to operate out of Rikers, Adams, Mastro, and Hochul, are further fueling the ‘good’ immigrant vs ‘bad’ immigrant narrative in order to pit migrant communities against each other and normalize mass deportations. It is critical that all New Yorkers who have fought to end imprisonment in the city, who oppose torture and xenophobia, now recognize that systems of criminalization and deportation are all connected. We will continue to advocate for New York State to pass Dignity Not Detention, which aims to end immigration detention in New York by prohibiting state and local governments from entering into or renewing contracts with ICE for detention, and requiring the termination of existing contracts. We believe it is the strongest tool New York has to stop ICE’s detention machine and protect immigrant communities, and we will organize with urgency to remove ICE from Rikers,” said Critical Resistance New York City.
"New York City MUST NOT allow ICE into Rikers Island. The assertion that ICE will not engage in civil immigration enforcement guarantees nothing. It provides zero protection for citizens or immigrants at Rikers Island. ICE has bypassed the immigration process, declared individuals gang members based on tattoos, loaded them onto planes in chains, and engaged in illegal rendition to El Salvador's maximum security prison, CECOT. There is a particular danger to those on Rikers Island, as the NYPD's definition of "gangs" extends to groups as small as three individuals, requires no criminal activity, and provides no notice, says the GANGS Coalition. Thousands in NYC are labeled as gang members based on neighborhood peer groups. Like the makeup artist, El Salvadoran sheet metal worker, and Venezualans loaded onto planes -- tattoos, dress, and nationality, not actual gang membership -- result in gang designations. Nor is gang membership illegal; it's not a basis for shipping individuals to a gulag,” said G.A.N.G.S Coalition.
“The return of ICE to Rikers Island a decade after being removed through legislation would roll us back a decade to a cruel time in our city’s history. Giving ICE unfettered access to people already facing egregious conditions on Rikers Island would undermine the very basic principles of due process, tear apart families, and perpetuate the double punishment of Black immigrants and other immigrants of color who are most likely to be targeted. We look forward to the City Council and our elected officials taking all action necessary to intervene with urgency and protect immigrant New Yorkers,” said Immigrant Defense Project.
“The Interfaith Center of New York condemns the Mayor’s Executive Order opening Rikers Island to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Whether your faith community values justice, charity, or hospitality, whether your house is worship is Buddhist, Jewish, or Christian, as New Yorkers of faith and no faith this decision undermines our confidence in city government. By eroding the right to due process, increasing the lawlessness and inhumanity of Rikers Island, and further terrorizing the vast majority of new New Yorkers on whom this city’s cultural, economic, and spiritual vibrancy depends, Mayor Adams does us all a disservice. We ask him to think again,” said Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center of New York.
“We reject Mayor Adams’s plan to reopen the ICE office at Rikers. This executive order targets immigrant New Yorkers and takes us backward to a time when the city let ICE criminalize, detain, and deport thousands of immigrants from our communities every year. To this we say: Hell No! This shameful move by Adams to get his charges dropped at the expense of our communities in a quid pro quo with President Trump is despicable and goes against the values we hold as New Yorkers. Instead of throwing immigrants under the bus to save his skin, the Mayor should be focused on addressing the humanitarian crisis unfolding at Rikers. Under Adams, conditions have deteriorated, and nearly 40 people have died in city jails. The jail population is going up -- now above 7,000 -- when it should be going down and he has outright abandoned the plan to close Rikers. As the Mayor helps Trump facilitate his mass deportation agenda in New York City and moves us further away from shutting down Rikers, the City Council and other city-wide elected officials must take swift action to fight back and protect our communities. There's no time to waste. We will keep fighting to protect immigrant New Yorkers and shut down Rikers once and for all,” said Melanie Dominguez, Organizing Director, Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice.
“Mayor Adams has invited Donald Trump’s deportation forces to harm those trapped in an unconstitutionally dangerous jail. This act will not promote public safety but will serve to further instill fear in New York’s immigrant community and empower the worst racist impulses. The New Yorkers identified in the NYPD’s racist Gang Database are in particular danger given the federal government’s current policy of sending people to foreign prisons based on unsupported allegations of gang membership. Adams has had his own case dismissed and no longer needs to kneel to Donald Trump to stay out of prison. He should start acting like it,” said Andrew Case, Supervising Counsel, LatinoJustice PRLDEF.
“Even if Mayor Adams did not sign this executive order himself, this action blatantly fulfills Mayor Adams’ promise to Border Czar Tom Homan to further Trump’s racist anti-immigrant agenda. This is reckless and a fearmongering attempt to divide New Yorkers. But we won’t stand by this. We all know the history of ICE and Rikers Island jail—both have a long track record of abuse and violence. We knew that 15 years ago when Make the Road first approached then City Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito about it, and we know that today. We must not allow this Mayor to roll back a change that has made our city better—keeping families together and protecting their rights,” said Jennifer Hernandez, Director of Campaigns, Make the Road Action.
“As the federal government continues to infringe on the rights of immigrants, we must continue to protect our communities - not capitulate to these cruel practices. President Trump’s policies have already isolated neighbors, friends and community members, and Mayor Adams’s continuous support of federal policies is destroying the heart and soul of our city in the name of “public safety.” We call on the Mayor to withdraw this EO and demand that our legislature immediately act to protect our friends, neighbors and community members," said Piyali Basak, Managing Director, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
“By giving ICE the keys to Rikers Island, the Adams administration is once again selling out New Yorkers for Trump’s dangerous deportation regime. 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,” said Zach Ahmad, Senior Policy Counsel, New York Civil Liberties Union.
“The return of ICE to Rikers Island should alarm every New Yorker. Mayor Adams’ unilateral decision to bring back ICE to Rikers Island demonstrates a complete disregard for New York City’s laws and the democratic will of the people of New York. These laws, passed over a decade ago, were the product of long-time community advocacy to defend and protect working class families. Before signed into law ALAA-UAW Local 2325 members regularly bore witness to the violence of ICE and local law enforcement collaboration on Rikers Island. ALAA-UAW Local 2325 condemns Mayor Adams’ executive order and will continue to use our collective power to defend our communities from family separation, incarceration, and deportation,” said President Lisa Ohta, Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys, UAW Local 2325 (ALAA - UAW Local 2325).