- ICE is reopening its office on Rikers Island to investigate gang and terrorism-related crimes, following an executive order by NYC First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. Mayor Eric Adams recused himself amid scrutiny over dropped federal corruption charges.
- The move has sparked criticism, with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams calling it a possible concession to Trump’s immigration agenda.
- Adrienne Adams says local laws may conflict with the order, and city officials are also reviewing legal options.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will once again open an office on Rikers Island in New York, where the agency will carry out investigations of criminals associated with gangs and terrorists. However, one local official is pushing back, saying local law does not allow federal immigration officers on Rikers for civil immigration enforcement.
Federal agents to resume criminal investigations
New York City’s First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro signed an executive order Tuesday night, April 8, allowing federal immigration authorities to return to Rikers.
Federal immigration authorities will also be able to share intelligence with the Department of Corrections, the New York City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.
Mastro spoke to Fox 5 New York and said the operation aims to make New York City safer.
“It’s about gleaning information and then using it in federal criminal investigations to go after the larger criminal enterprise of these transnational violent gangs,” Mastro told Fox 5.
Mastro said the decision was ultimately his after Adams recused himself from the situation.
Adams has been under scrutiny ever since President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice asked federal prosecutors in New York to drop federal corruption charges against the sitting mayor — a decision criticized as “quid pro quo” for Adams to get his case dismissed and then help the Trump administration carry out its immigration agenda.
Last week, a federal judge permanently dismissed the charges against Adams.
Executive order raises concerns among local leaders
In February, two days after the DOJ asked prosecutors to drop Adams’ case, he met with “border czar” Tom Homan. Both men said they discussed removing violent migrant gangs from the city and the possibility of allowing ICE officers back on Rikers Island to assist with those investigations.
Mastro told Fox 5 he’s never met or spoken to Homan.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — who is currently running for mayor — called the Rikers Island executive order “deeply concerning.”
“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,” Adrienne Adams said in a statement.
She is not related to Eric Adams.
Allowing ICE officers on Rikers Island was a top priority for the Trump administration, paving the way for Homan to carry out Trump’s mass deportation plan.
Adrienne Adams says local law does not allow federal immigration officers on Rikers for civil immigration enforcement and that City Council members are reviewing all options.
