In New York, a judge has halted the city’s mayor from allowing federal immigration officials to reinstate an office at the city’s principal jail, partly due to fears that the invitation may be linked to a settlement with the Trump administration to close a corruption inquiry.
The directive from New York Judge Mary Rosado on Friday represents a hurdle for Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who had authorized an executive order to permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal bodies to set up office space at the Rikers Island detention center. In response, city legislators filed a lawsuit in April, accusing Adams of striking a “corrupt quid pro quo bargain” with the Trump administration, purportedly in return for the U.S. Justice Department abandoning its criminal prosecution against him.
Rosado initially halted the executive order in April. By issuing a preliminary injunction, she indicated that city council members have “exhibited a likelihood of success in providing evidence, at least of the appearance of a quid pro quo where Mayor Adams openly consented to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back into Rikers Island to facilitate the dropping of his criminal charges.”
Rosado cited a number of factors, including U.S. border czar Tom Homan’s televised comments in February that if Adams did not come through, “I’ll be in his office, up his butt saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’ ”
Adams has repeatedly denied making a deal with the administration over the criminal case. He has said he deputized his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island to make sure there was no appearance of any conflict of interest.
Rosado said that Mastro reports to Adams and “cannot be considered impartial and free from Mayor Adams’ conflicts.”
Mastro said in a prepared statement Friday the administration was confident they will prevail in the case.
“Let’s be crystal clear: This executive order is about the criminal prosecution of violent transnational gangs committing crimes in our city. Our administration has never, and will never, do anything to jeopardize the safety of law-abiding immigrants, and this executive order ensures their safety as well,” Mastro said.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running in the Democratic primary for mayor, called the decision a victory for public safety.
“New Yorkers are counting on our city to protect their civil rights, and yet, Mayor Adams has attempted to betray this obligation by handing power over our city to Trump’s ICE because he is compromised,” she said in a prepared statement.
