Caribbean immigration advocates and city officials are speaking out forcefully against New York City Mayor Eric Adams following his administration’s decision to establish a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at Rikers Island, a move critics say threatens longstanding sanctuary protections for immigrant communities.
The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), which represents more than 200 immigrant and refugee rights organizations across the state, denounced the decision as a betrayal of New York’s core values. The ICE office, to be housed within the Rikers Island Correctional Facility, is expected to support federal deportation efforts targeting Caribbean and other immigrant populations.
“This administration is inviting ICE to violate the civil rights of New Yorkers with impunity,” said NYIC President and CEO Murad Awawdeh in a statement to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Wednesday. “For centuries, immigrants have built the economy and culture of New York City. Our sanctuary laws were designed to protect immigrant New Yorkers from predatory enforcement tactics and now Mayor Adams is undermining those protections.”
Awawdeh criticized the mayor for what he described as circumventing the city’s sanctuary laws, policies designed to foster public safety by limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and called on elected officials to take a firm stand.
“This is an attack on the very ideals that make New York the greatest city in the world,” he said. “Mayor Adams has again shown an unwillingness to defend immigrant communities. We will work with the New York City Council to urgently fight this measure.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is not related to the mayor, also expressed strong opposition to the move, noting that First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro issued Executive Order 50 on Tuesday, authorizing ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island for criminal enforcement.
“The mayor’s decision compromises the city’s sovereignty, introduces unnecessary chaos and endangers our communities,” Speaker Adams said. “This approach has already led to the resignation of four deputy mayors. It undermines trust in city leadership.”
She cited Local Law 58 of 2014, which explicitly restricts the use of city facilities for civil immigration enforcement activities, including office space for ICE at correctional institutions like Rikers Island.
“The Council is reviewing the executive order closely,” Speaker Adams added. “We are prepared to challenge any violations of the law and will take all necessary steps to protect the safety and rights of all New Yorkers.”
According to Executive Order 50, Rikers Island, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Correction, currently houses individuals incarcerated for a range of offenses, including members of designated terrorist organizations. The order seeks to facilitate ICE’s criminal enforcement operations within the facility.
The announcement comes in the wake of increased collaboration between Mayor Adams and federal immigration official Thomas Homan who is widely referred to as a “border czar” and follows the recent dismissal of a federal corruption case against the mayor, reportedly at the urging of President Donald Trump.
Critics argue the administration’s actions reflect a broader shift away from New York’s commitment to immigrant protections and raise serious questions about due process and civil liberties
