Transcript: Mayor Adams Holds In-Person Media Availability Following Meeting With Incoming Border Czar

December 12, 2024

Video available at: https://youtu.be/39J5rBYQkYI

Mayor Eric Adams: Good afternoon, and this is a tough time. You have to make tough decisions, and I have stood in front of you guys, many of you, throughout this entire migrant asylum seeker ordeal and took great strides to articulate my position, just to wake up the next day and see you write different stories that distort what I've stated. So I'm not wasting my time, I’m being very clear, and I'm not going to spend hours answering your questions over and over again for you already to have your preconceived notions and your distorted views on what I have articulated.  

We're going to protect the rights of immigrants in this city that are hardworking, giving back to the city in a real way. We're not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants, and long-standing New Yorkers. That was my conversation today with the border czar, to figure out how do we go after those individuals who are repeatedly committing crimes in our city.  

We're going to tell those who are here, who are law-abiding, to continue to utilize the services that are open to the city, the services that they have a right to utilize, educating their children, health care, public protection, and the things that we have long been prideful in doing so. But 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're not going to do it for those who are undocumented.  

We've made terrible mistakes in the past by preventing– to keep our city safe from those who have committed repeated acts of violence, particularly these dangerous gangs that we have witnessed in our city, and we're not going to continue in that direction. I'm going to answer a few questions, and then I am leaving, because it's not going to matter what I respond to anyway. You have your preconceived thoughts already.  

Question: Well, I do not have a preconceived thought. I want you to know that right from the start.  

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

Question: Number one here, are we talking about people who are just charged? I mean, convicted, or does that include charged, and how exactly, if you can give us some specifics, would this work? 

Mayor Adams: Our legal team is vetting. Do we have the authorization to sit down and speak with the ICE legal team to operationalize what both our desires are, and once we get that approval, then we will give you a complete layout of how it's going to work.  

Question: Mayor, sir? When you told Mr. Homan, I'm willing to work with you to make sure we're not a safe haven for people committing crimes, he pushed back and say, I'm looking to deport beyond that. I'm looking to deport undocumented people simply because they are documented Dreamers, for instance, asylum-seeking migrants who are not committing crimes, and what, if anything, did you say about deporting those people who have not done any crime? 

Mayor Adams: He told you he pushed back on it?  

Question: No I'm asking you, did he?  

Mayor Adams: Oh, okay alright.  

[Crosstalk.] 

Question: Did he push back on [inaudible] I want a broader scope.  

Mayor Adams: 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, among innocent New Yorkers and among migrants and asylum-seekers. That's what I heard from him, and I was pleased to hear that because we share the same desire. 

Question: So, in part of this meeting, you were looking at how to address and kind of meet the new administration a little halfway here, maybe, however you guys are going to meet.  

Part of that conversation, as you've mentioned, the Marcia Kramer show, is looking at executive orders. So was there any talk about executive orders? And then what would those executive orders entail, and how would they work to kind of address what you had discussed with the border czar today? 

Mayor Adams: I spoke with my legal team here to look at the powers of my executive orders to accomplish my goal of ridding our streets from those repeated individuals who carry out violent acts of violence towards New Yorkers and towards migrants and asylum-seekers. And once we come to a full understanding of that, then we will report on it. 

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. What did you ask incoming Border Czar Homan, about his plans for his scope for deportation? What questions did you ask him about how far he wants to go with deportations, and what did he tell you? 

Mayor Adams: Well, I think that what has been reported is totally distorted from what our face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball conversation. His goal is the same goal I have. We cannot allow dangerous individuals to commit repeated violent acts of violence in our cities across America.  

I've said this before, and I'm surprised the way everyone is attempting to state this is a new coming of Eric Adams. I've stated this over and over again, long before this election, that this can't be a safe haven for violent individuals. You have a right, a privilege, to live in this country, and those who want to commit acts of violence, they are violating that privilege. 

[Crosstalk.] 

Question: Did Mr. Homan make any specific request from the city in order to work with you in this crisis? 

Mayor Adams: His desire is clearly, again, what my target area is. And what I've learned also from sitting down with him and a representative from the Biden administration that was there in the meeting as well, we have 500,000 children who have sponsors in this country that we can't find. We can't find them. We don't know if they're doing child labor. We don't know if they're doing sex crimes. We don't know if they've been exploited. 500,000 children.  

There's a level of hypocrisy that everyone that states they want to protect everyone but innocent individuals who are victims of crimes and children. I want to support and protect children and innocent people that are victims of crime. And those who don't understand that, it's not up to me to try to convince them. I know what my job is, my goal is, and I was clear of that while running and when I became mayor. Safety means everything to me. 500,000 children. We don't know where they are right now in this country. 

Question: Will New York remain a sanctuary city and will you do anything to repeal any of the work that the de Blasio administration did to limit interactions with ICE and other immigration groups? 

Mayor Adams: New York remaining a sanctuary city is determined by the City Council. They told you what their position is. I'm going to try to attempt to use my executive orders to go after dangerous people who are committing violent acts against migrants and asylum seekers and long-term New Yorkers and undocumented immigrants. No one should be a victim of a crime in this city and particularly violent crimes. And I said that over and over again and I'm going to continue to stand by that. 

Question: Mr. Mayor, I wonder if you can detail exactly the kind of cooperation the NYPD will be giving to federal officials in your quest to rid the city of the violent criminals that you talked about. 

Mayor Adams: We need to unravel all of these rules and procedures and laws and all of these rules and procedures. We need to unravel them and get clarity on what we could do and what we can't do. About 170 crimes currently allow us to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a conviction. We need to examine them and see what, again, my authority using executive orders to ensure that I keep New Yorkers safe.  

That's my only goal. I cannot make it any clearer. And so, if pursuing that goal means that my years and years of advocating for immigrants that are here attempting to find the American dream, if that demonizes me, then I'm going to take it. But I'm going to save lives in this city. 

Question: [Inaudible] were approved actually during the de Blasio administration. Do you feel that since it was approved during the de Blasio administration that you have the authority to enforce them now to let NYPD officials enforce them with ICE officials now so that you can begin doing what you just said you wanted to do? 

Mayor Adams: Let me tell you [the] challenge that we're having. Currently, you could have one of these dangerous Venezuelan gangs that are here. They could be in real active investigation into some of the criminality that they're doing. There's a lack of clarity that, can we assist in preventing the act from taking place? That just makes no sense to me.  

And I don't know why we want to ignore the fact that there is, from some of these dangerous Ecuadorian gangs we saw in Long Island, the dangerous gangs that we saw coming from other regions, we have an obligation and responsibility to keep people safe in this city. And all law enforcement should play a role in that. All law enforcement. And we should not handcuff law enforcement for carrying out that job.  

And I think that this entire narrative has been hijacked. There's a great level of distortion. People are trying to push their own agenda. I have one agenda. I've never lied about the agenda. I've never been slick about my agenda. Keeping New Yorkers safe. And it doesn't matter if they are documented or undocumented. Because some of the criminal aspects in this city are preying on migrants, asylum seekers, and undocumented on so many levels.  

This is not about protecting just a certain part. Everybody. Everyone in this city should be protected. They should not be the victims of violent crimes. And that was the conversation I had with the border czar. We share that same belief. And we're going to pursue that same belief. And I'm looking forward to that pursuit. Thank you.