Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on PIX11's "PIX11 News at 6PM"

April 23, 2025

Hazel Sanchez: Really a frightening situation for that area. And joining us now is Mayor Eric Adams, who we just saw in Eileen's report. He toured the scene of that tragic shooting.

Kendis Gibson: Yeah, mayor, thank you so much for joining us this evening. This is, sadly, another case of an innocent bystander being killed by rampant gunfire right here in the city. Of course, you have touted recently a drop in violent crime, but I saw that you were out there, what is your message to viewers right now who see random acts like this and they're fearful?

Mayor Eric Adams: And you're right, stats mean nothing if people don't feel safe. We're at the lowest shootings this quarter in recorded history in the city. But what does that mean if you have a 61-year-old grandmother that lost her life? And when you think about it, this is what I need New Yorkers to know. 

Public safety is a criminal justice apparatus that includes police, that includes judges, that includes lawmakers. The police are doing their job. When you have a person with repeated violence, just last year, he was arrested for robbery, stabbing two people. 

Now he's back on the street, involved in a shooting that took the life of an innocent woman. We have to have the other parts of the criminal justice system do their job.

Sanchez: Yeah, it's just awful. Any idea if this was gang-related at all?

Mayor Adams: I'm glad you asked that, because when I was speaking to the crisis management team there, as well as the captain, that area is dealing with gang violence between some of the public housing locations. This feeds into what we did yesterday when we took down a dangerous gang. 

Gangs cannot control our city. And when the City Council is calling for the removal of gang databases, they are taking away tools that police officers use to identify this. We don't know if this was gang-involved, but the investigation is still young.

Sanchez: Yeah, I mean, and you had a gang takedown yesterday, right? I mean, 27 members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, robbery. Tell us more about the partnership now, though, with the feds that led up to that.

Mayor Adams: And think about this for a moment. The most horrific part of this act, of this takedown yesterday, was not only the homicides, the drugs, the selling of guns, but they were also preying on migrants and asylum seekers— women. 

They were taking their documentation and reportedly holding onto it and forcing them into prostitution [and] going after their family members, both here and from their countries. 

These are the dangerous people we're talking about. And I'm going to partner with every federal city and state agency to make sure they don't take a foothold in our city. 

And that is what we did with all of our federal agencies, including ICE, to go after the criminal behavior. And I'm not going to stop doing everything possible to keep this city safe.

Gibson: This is the same gang that the Trump administration had said they were targeting when they deported so many hundreds to El Salvador. Would you support this particular gang, those people who were arrested yesterday, be transported to El Salvador without due rights?

Mayor Adams: No, the process is that I support having these people have their due process, but at the same time, after they are convicted and served their time, they should be deported from our country. They hurt the long number and a large number of migrants, asylum seekers, and immigrants who come here, love this country, carry out the laws, do what's best for this city and this country. They are an abuse to that, and they should not be remaining in this country after they served their time.

Gibson: Even to that prison in El Salvador?

Mayor Adams: Which prison they go to is not up to me. I say over and over again, it is not my role to do immigration policies. It's my role to protect the people of this city if they're documented or undocumented, and that is what we're going to continue to do.

Sanchez: So during the news conference that you had yesterday, you actually said that you wouldn't have a tequila drink with a gang member. Was that in reference then to Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who was meeting with that wrongly deported gentleman, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who by all accounts that we know is unaffiliated with a gang?

Mayor Adams: He was not only a gang member, he was also, his wife had an order of protection against him. I fight against domestic violence. I grew up in a household where domestic violence existed, and those who want to beat women, those who want to participate in gang behavior, I would not have a tequila drink with them. I am not going to allow people to be abusive, to documented or undocumented people in this city.

Sanchez: Some are alleging that was staged, that photo.

Gibson: That photo, of course, that you're talking about. So you were referring to the Maryland senator when you were talking about tequila.

Mayor Adams: I'm talking to anyone that has embraced the policies of treating these gang members, like the 27 that we arrested, treating them as though they have the right to be in this country after committing a violent act. 

It's time for us all to decide which sides are we on. Are we on the side of protecting those who are creating violence in our city and country, or are we on the side of hardworking New Yorkers? I'm on the side of hardworking New Yorkers, no matter what their documentation status is.

Gibson: Mr. Mayor, a lot of people are saying that they're on the side of due process, which a lot of those folks who were sent to El Salvador did not get. Alright, we'll have to leave it there. Mayor Eric Adams, thank you so much for joining us. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care.