(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with incoming border czar Thomas Homan to discuss their plans to remove what he says were violent undocumented immigrants.
Thursday’s closed-door meeting was the latest correspondence between the incoming Trump administration and Adams, who is facing federal bribery and fraud charges.
The mayor spoke about his meeting at a news conference, where he began by admonishing reporters for having “preconceived notions” and “distorted views” about his immigration policies.”
While Adams said the city is going to “protect the rights, of immigrants who are hard-working and giving back to the city in a positive way,” the mayor repeatedly said that he and Homan agreed that they do not share the same courtesy for immigrants who he says commits violent crimes.
“We will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts. We don’t do it for those who are citizens and we are not going to do it for undocumented citizens,” Adams said.
Homan, who served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration, has vowed a “shock and awe” action against undocumented immigrants on day one. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants once he takes office and has threatened local leaders who have opposed his proposal.
States and municipalities can’t outright act as immigration enforcement for the federal government without an agreement, according to federal law.
Sixty counties and police districts, many of them in Florida, have entered into 287(g) agreements with Immigration Customs and Enforcement, in which local law enforcement can conduct immigration policies on behalf of the federal government such as executing warrants and detaining undocumented immigrants, Elora Mukherjee, the director of Columbia Law School’s immigration clinic, told ABC News last month.
The mayor said his legal team is speaking with the ICE’s legal team about ways to work together. Adams said he is considering using executive orders but didn’t give any specifics.
He also mentioned South American gang activity in the city and Long Island when asked about more specifics on violent crime involving undocumented immigrants, but didn’t go into further detail.
Adams was mum when asked by a reporter if he and Homan discussed proposals to deport undocumented immigrants who didn’t commit any crime in the city.
“From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts against innocent New Yorkers, migrants and asylum seekers,” the mayor said.
Adams has had several conversations with the Trump team since the election, which has raised questions from critics about the discussions and the mayor’s ongoing criminal case.
He became the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted when federal prosecutors charged him in September with bribery, fraud and accepting unsolicited donations from a foreign donor.
An investigation dating back to Adams’ time as Brooklyn borough president alleged the mayor had traded political favors with Turkish businessmen and officials in exchange for lavish gifts, hotel stays and flights.
The five-count indictment also alleges that Adams was involved with a foreign straw donor scheme that helped him get matching funds for his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Adams pleaded not guilty, brushed aside calls for his resignation and denied any wrongdoing. He has also dodged questions about whether he has sought a pardon by Trump.
The trial is slated for April and prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing.
Many of the mayor’s critics, including City Comptroller Brad Lander who will run against Adams in the Democratic primary, chastised the mayor for meeting with Homan.
“Eric Adams is so focused on cozying up to Trump that he is willing to deny people due process and put the safety of families at risk. This open-armed embrace of Trump’s xenophobic policies is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home,” he said in a statement.
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