Kaz Daughtry, a close associate of former Mayor Eric Adams who acted as the city’s liaison to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will join the Homeland Security Department to serve as its civilian contact with law enforcement across New York State, the department confirmed.
Mr. Daughtry, a former Police Department detective whom Mr. Adams elevated to the force’s top ranks and then the deputy mayor for public safety, is expected to be one of the agency’s top New York officials, said two people with knowledge of the matter, who asked for anonymity to discuss personnel moves.
Mr. Daughtry is expected to start in the new position as early as next week.
While working at City Hall, Mr. Daughtry was a main point of contact for Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, and helped to plan large-scale raids in New York City in cooperation with the White House’s immigration crackdown. The police commissioner, Jessica S. Tisch, blocked the raids for a variety of reasons, including because she expected that they would violate local law.
The move to hire Mr. Daughtry will strengthen the ties between Mr. Adams’s circle and the Trump administration, which last year abandoned a corruption case against the former mayor.
Mr. Daughtry has also developed his own personal connections to the White House. Last summer, he posted pictures of himself and John Chell — another top police official in the Adams administration — posing with Mr. Trump at the president’s New Jersey golf club. A person familiar with the hiring process said that the president had been supportive of the agency hiring Mr. Daughtry, after he was contacted by others about the possibility.
Mr. Daughtry will join an agency that is under heavy scrutiny amid its deployment in Minneapolis, where an ICE agent fatally shot a woman, and the recent death of a detainee in El Paso, which was ruled a homicide.
In Minnesota, residents have said the ICE operation has few clear guidelines and has resulted in the arbitrary detention of several American citizens. Administration officials have said that the deployment is necessary to address crime and that ICE’S operations are lawful.
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Mr. Daughtry rose rapidly through the ranks of the Police Department once Mr. Adams became mayor, despite questions about his experience and the secretive nature of a citywide unit he led that was responsible for addressing quality-of-life issues.
That unit, known as the community response team, had no formal mission statement and no written policies, according to a 2024 report from the Police Department’s inspector general. The report warned that the unit’s lack of transparency about its purpose and policies elevated the risk that it would not comply with city law.
The unit, which formed in 2022, had a prominent social media presence. By the end of its first year, the department had released the first episode of a web series it called “True Blue: NYPD’s Finest,” a flashy, “Cops”-style program that followed the unit’s officers as they seized all-terrain vehicles, mopeds and so-called ghost cars with paper license plates.
Mr. Daughtry appeared to enjoy being in front of the camera and played to character as a hard-bitten veteran of street enforcement. He was also one of the central figures in a planned reality show called “Behind the Badge,” meant to feature the work of the police department.
“Behind the Badge,” made in collaboration with a son of the unlicensed celebrity psychologist Dr. Phil, was authorized by Mr. Adams. But this week, New York City sued to prevent footage from the show from being released, saying that it could endanger police operations as well as undercover officers, witnesses and crime victims.
Under the Trump administration, the Homeland Security Department has also churned out glossy videos highlighting its operations, occasionally reminiscent of those that featured Mr. Daughtry’s police unit.
Late last year, Mr. Daughtry already seemed to be anticipating the new role. On Dec. 31, he wished his followers on X a happy new year.
“Remember always America First…..!!!!” he added.
Tyler Pager contributed reporting.
Dana Rubinstein covers New York City politics and government for The Times.
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