Introduction to the Sanctuary City Fight
The New York City Council is gearing up for a legal battle over the city’s sanctuary laws barring local authorities from assisting in federal immigration enforcement. Lawmakers passed a resolution Thursday allowing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to sue Mayor Eric Adams and possibly President Donald Trump over the issue.
Background on the Resolution
The resolution — a required step before the Council can sue — comes two days after the Adams administration signed an executive order allowing federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to reestablish an outpost on Rikers Island. It also came the same day President Trump posted to Truth Social that he was drafting paperwork to withhold all federal funding from “sanctuary cities” like New York City.
Press Conference and Reactions
At a press conference Thursday afternoon ahead of the resolution’s passage, Speaker Adams pointed to the long-anticipated City Hall executive order that came a week after a federal judge agreed to drop corruption charges against Mayor Adams at the behest of Trump’s Department of Justice. “This is about the mayor fulfilling his end of the bargain to Trump, selling out New Yorkers in exchange for the dismissal of his federal corruption case,” she said. “The mayor is putting his personal interest in Trump’s extremist agenda above our city’s and New Yorkers,” said the speaker, who is also running for mayor. “It is the Council’s responsibility to stand up for New Yorkers, and we intend to continue doing so.”
Defense of the Executive Order
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro speaks at City Hall defending his executive order allowing federal immigration officials back onto Rikers Island, April 10, 2025 Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY Even the federal judge who signed off on the Justice Department’s request to drop the corruption charges they’d filed against Adams wrote that the perceived exchange of help on Trump’s immigration priorities for the dismissal of the case against the mayor “smacks of a bargain.” But Mastro, speaking on Thursday, said the Rikers order was “all about public safety and protecting New Yorkers from these violent gangs.” He said the city is still working on memorandums of understanding with various federal agencies interested in setting up shop at the jail, but declined to say when those would be finished or how many federal officers would be on site.
Concerns Over Immigration Enforcement
‘It Won’t Happen. It Can’t Happen.’
Mastro’s executive order argues federal agents are needed on Rikers to help the city combat “violent transnational gangs and criminal enterprises,” citing the Trump administration’s recent designation of MS-13 and Tren del Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations. The Trump administration is ramping up its deportation efforts, targeting non-citizens it claims are gang members and sending some to an El Salvadoran jail. Advocates for many of the deportees argue the government has provided little evidence — and almost no due process — to back their claims that the accused are gang members.
## History of Detainer Law
The 2014 so-called detainer law that booted ICE from Rikers forbade the NYPD and the Corrections Department from holding detainees at the behest of ICE unless there was a judicial warrant and someone had been recently convicted of a “violent or serious” crime. But it does allow a carveout for the mayor to use an executive order to allow federal immigration authorities to set up an office on Rikers Island — as long as their goal is not civil immigration enforcement. Demonstrators rally outside City Hall against Mayor Eric Adams’ executive order allowing ICE and other federal agencies back onto Rikers Island, April 10, 2025. Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY
## Conclusion
The City Council’s decision to sue Mayor Eric Adams and possibly President Donald Trump over the sanctuary city issue marks a significant escalation in the battle over immigration enforcement in New York City. As the city navigates this complex and contentious issue, it remains to be seen how the courts will ultimately rule on the matter.
## FAQs
* What is the City Council’s resolution about?
The City Council passed a resolution allowing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to sue Mayor Eric Adams and possibly President Donald Trump over the city’s sanctuary laws.
* What is the executive order signed by the Adams administration?
The executive order allows federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to reestablish an outpost on Rikers Island.
* What are the concerns over immigration enforcement?
Advocates are concerned that the city’s cooperation with federal agencies could lead to the deportation of non-citizens without due process.
* What is the history of the detainer law?
The 2014 detainer law forbade the NYPD and the Corrections Department from holding detainees at the behest of ICE unless there was a judicial warrant and someone had been recently convicted of a “violent or serious” crime.
