New York, NY—Today, New York State Supreme Court Judge Mary Rosado barred Mayor Eric Adams from re-opening an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at Rikers, declaring Executive Order No. 50 on the matter "null and void."
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“The Mayor’s attempt to bring ICE back to Rikers Island has failed. By declaring the Mayoral Administration's executive order to re-open an ICE office at Rikers ‘null and void,’ the NYS Supreme Court has offered a vital degree of protection for our immigrant neighbors. Thousands of New Yorkers will no longer face the prospect of detention and deportation because they were sent to Rikers after being simply accused – not convicted – of a crime. New York City must never collude with the Federal Administration’s mass deportation agenda, and our Mayor should be ensuring that every New Yorker has their due process rights protected. We commend the NYS Supreme Court, Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Council and the people of New York for continuing to stand up for our immigrant neighbors.”
Background
In April, NYC Mayor Eric Adams' administration announced the re-opening of an ICE office on Rikers Island. ICE has not operated at Rikers Island since 2014, when Local Law 58 was enacted. New York City sanctuary laws - created by the City Council over a decade ago - are clear: our city cannot and must not be in the business of deportation, and instead our city agencies must build trust with immigrants to ensure the public safety of all New Yorkers. Rikers Island has a long and documented history of violence, abuse, and mismanagement.