Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Mary Rosado has delayed the opening of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center on Rikers Island in a significant setback for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trump administration.
Newsweek reached out to the mayor’s office by email outside of normal business hours on Friday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
Adams was indicted last year on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and soliciting and accepting a bribe. The mayor pleaded not guilty to all charges and consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The case was brought against Adams by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ), but the second Trump administration made it a mission to drop the case, citing concerns about the impact on Adams and his ability to assist with immigration enforcement.
The push to drop the charges prompted resignations across the Justice Department, and even the Assistant U.S. Attorneys in New York and Washington, D.C., quit rather than comply with the order.
The charges were dropped on April 2 “with prejudice,” meaning the charges cannot be refiled. The presiding U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho granted the motion but stressed his concerns that the move appeared to be politically motivated.
What To Know
Rosado said “all New York City government officials, officers, personnel and agencies, including the DOC [Department of Corrections], are … temporarily enjoined from taking any steps to facilitate the presence of federal law enforcement personnel on Rikers Island or any other property controlled by DOC.”
Jim Catterson, an attorney representing the mayor’s office, said the City Council’s effort is “nothing more than a political statement masquerading as a petition,” a reference to the mayor’s argument that the City Council seeks merely to damage his credibility during an election year.
The City Council argued that the push for an ICE office by the Adams administration was part of a “quid pro quo” deal – a “corrupt bargain” – between Trump and Adams to dismiss the indictment against the mayor. Adams has denied any such deal exists, especially after acting ICE Director Tom Homan joked about the issue during an appearance on Fox News.
Rosado made no comment on those aspects of the argument but agreed to push back the opening until at least after a May 29 hearing at which she ordered the mayor’s office to show cause as to why she should not grant the City Council’s injunction, according to an order filed Friday.
New York City Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro on April 8 signed an executive order that would allow immigration authorities to work out of Rikers Island, which the New York City Council warned was a means of allowing the authorities access to “supercharge their [federal] mass deportation efforts.”
ICE operated an office on Rikers Island until 2014, at which point New York City shut the office down as part of its commitments as a sanctuary city. The executive order by Mastro, issued in place of Adams to try and bypass any potential conflict of interest, would permit ICE and other federal agencies to open offices on Rikers to conduct a criminal investigation and not for routine enforcement of federal immigration laws, according to the New York Times.
The City Council sued and requested an injunction blocking the opening of the ICE office, arguing that the agents stationed there would gain access to databases and personal information and raised concerns about deportations within the prison without due process.
“Even if the Mayor and Mastro intend for ICE to limit its activities on Rikers to criminal enforcement, as permitted under the City’s sanctuary laws, once ICE re-establishes a presence on the island, there is no reason to believe it will not use the opportunity to supercharge President Trump’s mass deportation agenda,” the original complaint said. “Numerous experts have noted that Executive Order 50 gives ICE all of the tools it needs to carry out its civil deportation agenda.”
What Happens Next
The next hearing is scheduled for May 29, as per the order issued by Rosado, at which point the mayor’s office and legal counsel will have to present their case against issuing an injunction.
The post Judge Rules Against Trump Admin and Eric Adams on Rikers Island ICE Office appeared first on Newsweek.
