Transcript: Mayor Adams appears live on CNN's “Inside Politics with Dana Bash” with former Mayor de Blasio.

April 16, 2025

Dana Bash: A big announcement this morning for New York City children and their parents. Mayor Eric Adams is declaring now permanent funding for the city's groundbreaking early education for children programming. It includes universal preschool for three-year-olds, or what's known as 3K. Some may remember when this program began in 2017, it was championed by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

Joining me now for a joint interview are Mayor Eric Adams and former Mayor Bill de Blasio. Thank you both for being here. Mayor Adams, I'll start with you. How will this citywide 3K funding impact New Yorkers?

Mayor Eric Adams: It is so important, and this is what government is about. It's a continuation of receiving the baton for excellent programs that deal with the foundational issues. And it's something that Mayor de Blasio had a vision for and something he shared with me at the beginning of my administration. And what we're saying, in essence, we're going to make it a permanent part of government. Early childhood education, and this is just crucial for a real strong foundation for young people as they move forward.

Bash: And Mayor de Blasio, as we just heard from Mayor Adams, this was your sort of signature issue. It was your key goal. How do you view the announcement today?

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, Dana, what Mayor Adams is doing is even more important given the backdrop of what we're seeing in Washington right now. You know, with the federal government shutting down the Department of Education and defunding our children, our families. You know, New York City is going the exact opposite direction, thank God, and saying we're going to actually double down on early childhood education. 

So to think about this, that every three-year-old in New York City will have that start, that strong start in life, that ability to really reach their potential, and it's for free for their families. In a city that, you know, has an affordability challenge, this is a big, big deal. And I particularly commend the mayor because, you know, given what's happened in Washington, you could say, "Oh, we just can't afford it right now," but he's actually making it a priority and making it permanent funding. That's great for the families of this city.

Bash: Mayor Adams, I want to talk about another policy issue on your plate, and that is immigration. Yesterday, the New York City Council sued you over allowing ICE agents at Rikers Island Prison. The City Council speaker accused you of fulfilling your, "End of the bargain for special treatment that he, meaning you, received from the Trump administration." 

She's accusing you of a quid pro quo, following through with a promise to allow ICE at Rikers in exchange for the Trump administration dropping the corruption charges against you, which of course happened. What's your response?

Mayor Adams: Well, sad and unfortunate, particularly that's the same speaker that removed two of her members off the budget negotiation committee because they did not endorse her. That's the type of hypocrisy you're hearing. 

I swore in federal court there was no quid pro quo. I was very clear, if you go back and look at my position on public safety and those who break the law, documented or undocumented, it's consistent. It has not changed. It was the same under President Biden. It's the same under this administration. 

And when you hear people state that we should not collaborate with our federal authorities, ICE, HSI, FBI, Postal Service, that is just wrong. Public safety is the foundation. Those who commit violent crimes, after they serve their time, I've been clear from the beginning, they should be deported from our country. And I continue to stand by that. And the courts will work out the outcome of this.

Bash: Let me just follow up on what you said about you swearing an oath that you didn't partake in a quid pro quo. It seems as though the judge in dismissing the charges against you, which he did a couple of weeks ago, suggested he didn't buy it. He said there is no way to compel the government to prosecute a case in circumstances like those presented here. But he also wrote, "Everything here smacks of a bargain dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions."

Mayor Adams: Well, there was a judge that told me to raise my right hand and he asked me very specific questions. I answered those. And as we read through his statement, we should focus on two areas because it's the foundation of our American judicial system. Eric is innocent until proven guilty. And these charges are dismissed not to come back. He made the determination to do so with prejudice. That was his determination and his call. And I support his belief. And I stated from the beginning, I did nothing wrong and that we will fight justice to the end, and Alex Spiro, my attorney, did that.

Bash: And Mayor de Blasio, just on the underlying issue that we are talking about here, the idea that ICE is now allowed back in Rikers. This was your decision to ban ICE back during your administration. So Mayor Adams is reversing your decision.

Former Mayor De Blasio: Look, Dana, I am always concerned about the way the Trump administration is going about immigration policy, because I think it's extremely politicized. Right now, we're seeing a fundamental threat to American civil liberties when they're even talking about taking American citizens off the streets and sending them to foreign prisons. So something is really wrong. 

But I want to separate that from the question of how we do legitimate enforcement. I think this is something that Mayor Adams and I would see eye to eye on. We have a very strong law here in New York City that says there's 100 and I think it's 170 serious and violent crimes that if an undocumented person commits them and they go through due process are found guilty, they should be removed from this country. And that's the right way to do things, with due process. 

If ICE is going to have a presence on Rikers and abide by our city law, fine. But I'm worried about, beyond that, is the bigger reality we're seeing coming out of Washington, which is politicizing and weaponizing ICE and not making it about appropriate immigration enforcement.

Bash: So you're okay with, even though you banned ICE when you were in office, banned ICE from Rikers, you're okay with it now?

Former Mayor De Blasio: Dana, what I care about is that the city law, which was passed in my time, is abided by. And I think honestly, if there's an ICE office on Rikers and they abide by our city law, that's something I certainly can live with. The crucial thing is we have to keep a very close eye on ICE, on them because it seems they are working from a different agenda.

Mayor Adams: And Dana we cannot forget something that's very important that is often lost in this conversation. Mayors must govern based on the actions that are in front of them. I have a real problem with dangerous Venezuelan gangs and other gangs. They have created a level of violence shooting at police officers. We've witnessed some extreme circumstances. And so what is done during one administration is different from another administration. 

We must be able to adjust to keep New Yorkers safe. And 80 percent of New Yorkers agree that those who commit these violent acts should be deported after they serve their time. I'm listening to the voices of New Yorkers. And it's not only ICE. Let's be clear. It is the FBI. It is the Postal Service. It is HSI. I'm collaborating just as I did under the Biden administration. I'm collaborating and brought the former president here to see how we're collaborating with federal authorities.

Bash: Mayor Adams, you mentioned Venezuela. There are reports that a 19-year-old Venezuelan who was living in the Bronx in your city was detained in February and sent to this notorious prison that has so been in the news and the headlines in El Salvador. Now, this teenager's family says he has no criminal record. He didn't have any tattoos. Do you know anything about this case?

Mayor Adams: No, I do not. And I'm not allowed under the current law in New York City to collaborate with any agents with ICE dealing with civil deportation. And we will always adhere to what the law is. But I am, as I stated previously, prior to this election, I will collaborate with federal authorities to go after dangerous people that are harming documented and undocumented New Yorkers.

Bash: So you, you're saying you collaborate with the Trump administration. You collaborated with the Biden administration. I'm hearing you on that. You also just heard your friend and former mayor Bill de Blasio talk about civil liberties. 

Are you openly working with the Trump administration? I mean, as you work with them on these issues, are you comfortable with the way in which they are rounding up and deporting people? Especially in the case of what is going on right now with a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Ábrego García and the administration is refusing?

Mayor Adams: Well, you know, one thing I'm clear on is that I'm not a hypocrite. I've been very clear on my policies. And if we look at the wording in communications, I stated pre-Trump, the President Trump being elected, it's the same, there's consistency. 

And what I am clear on, we must have federal immigration policies. When you allow an open border and you allow anyone to come through, you have a $7.5 billion price tag on our cities. El Paso shouldn't be going through this. Chicago shouldn't be going through this. New York shouldn't be going through this. I don't control immigration. It's a federal issue.

Bash: And I hear you, and you've been really clear on that, that it's a federal issue, but you're also a lifelong law enforcement official. You have to have an opinion, nevermind the mayor of New York City.

Mayor Adams: Yes, and as a lifelong law enforcement person that from the 84 talked about public safety as a prerequisite to prosperity, I stayed with that. Our federal government must deal with the immigration issue and it should not be placed on cities. And the constitution clearly lays out the federal government will handle immigration. 

And we can't say based on who's the president, let's be consistent. And the hypocrisy is that what I've raised during a previous administration, I would say again now, the federal government on all levels must deal with immigration crisis.

Bash: Just to put a button on it, because the previous administration and this administration, as you have laid out, they're dealing with this in a different way. Just to be clear, yes or no, you're okay with the way that the Trump administration is handling the immigration situation in New York City and beyond right now?

Mayor Adams: What I said over and over again, and I'm going to continue, the federal government, that's not only the president, Congress, everyone must focus on what we've been doing with immigration in our country. 

Here in the city, we have a large number of immigrants that participate every day in the quality of life of the city. The mayors should not have to do this. That includes the Chicago mayor, the Denver mayor, the Houston mayor.

Bash: I'm not asking if you have to do it. I'm asking if the way the federal government is doing it makes you comfortable or not.

Mayor Adams: I want to be consistent. As I said, you are trying to get a yes or no answer to something that I've been consistent on. The federal government must deal with immigration. My job is, whomever is in the city, is to ensure they're able to go to school, get healthcare, public safety, and be able to work in a free environment. And I have provided that as the mayor. 

230,000 migrants and asylum seekers came to this city and not one had to sleep on the streets because of what we've accomplished here. And I'm going to continue to do my job for those who are in the city. But if we manage the immigration policies, the cities won't have to handle this problem.

Former Mayor De Blasio: Hey, Dana, real quick point. 

Bash: Please, go ahead.

Former Mayor De Blasio: Real quick point. Yeah, you know, New York City, since actually the time of Mayor Ed Koch, has not asked for documentation status of people who come here. And that's the NYPD. The NYPD believes in that fundamentally because otherwise you're going to have, we have 500,000 undocumented people here. And if you start asking for documentation status, they're not going to report crimes or be witnesses to crime, be able to help the police to do their job. 

So I just think it's really important, the point Mayor Adams made, what we're doing in New York City, we've done it across Democratic and Republican administrations. Here is to say, if you come here and you're law abiding, we're not trying to participate in a deportation process because that would cut off all communication.

Bash: You both have to go. You're very generous with your time. It's Inside Politics. I have to ask you, Mayor de Blasio, a political question. You are very well known to not have the greatest relationship with Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor.

Former Mayor De Blasio: I'm shocked by your question.

Bash: Will you endorse the man sitting next to you, Eric Adams, for mayor?

Former Mayor De Blasio: So thank you for the question, Dana. Look, it's early still in this election here in New York City. I don't have any intention to get involved in any way at this point, but I'm going to watch really closely. And I have offered a critique of the former governor, and I have real concerns about him because of what I experienced as mayor, including the fact that when we tried to achieve early childhood education for all our kids, we didn't get a real warm reception in Albany. So that's one of the reasons I appreciate what Mayor Adams is doing here today.

Bash: And Mayor Adams, you are a Democrat. You're running on the independent ticket. Is that because you were worried you would lose the Democratic primary to Andrew Cuomo?

Mayor Adams: No, it was those bogus charges that really overshadowed the success that I had in this city, bringing down crime, more jobs in the city's history, affordable housing broke record levels, tourism second highest in city history. I can go through the list. 

We did not believe this was going to be as long on the eve of petitioning. I carried and received 25,000 signatures. And so I need the runway to allow New Yorkers to know exactly what we've accomplished without those bogus charges over my head. And I'm looking forward to doing so. 

I'm still a Democrat and I'm running on an independent line. And this is what our democracy is about. That's what Lindsay did when he ran as an independent and was reelected. That's the beauty of democracy in America. And nothing personifies that more than New York City. And I look forward to being out there.

Bash: Mayor Eric Adams, former mayor Bill de Blasio, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

Former Mayor De Blasio: Thanks.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.