Eric Adams Unfazed as Judge Blocks His Rikers ICE Plan Amid Council Lawsuit

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is shrugging off a court setback to his controversial plan to let ICE agents back into Rikers Island, coolly describing the judge's ruling as "all part of the process." Honestly, for a mayor wading through political minefields, that’s some Olympic-level composure.

Adams, now running for re-election as an Independent, has drawn fire from fellow Democrats nationwide for cooperating with the Trump administration's crackdown on migrant crime. The latest drama? The Democrat-led New York City Council is suing him over his executive order that would let ICE conduct immigration checks and interviews at the city’s infamous jail complex.

The City Council alleges Adams is making illegal deals with the Trump team, putting his political ambitions ahead of New York’s cherished sanctuary laws. They didn’t hold back, calling his order "the poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams’s deal with the Trump Administration." Ouch.

Last week, Judge Mary Rosado temporarily blocked Adams’ plan, forbidding the city from making any agreements with federal immigration authorities for now. So, for anyone keeping score, Rikers is still an ICE-free zone, at least until the next court date.

ICE used to operate at Rikers until 2014, when the city’s sanctuary policies sent them packing. That changed this month when First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro signed an executive order granting federal agents office space on Rikers Island.

The mayor’s office argues the move is about public safety, pointing to threats from violent international gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. The order allows federal law enforcement to share real-time gang intelligence with city corrections and police, but stops short of letting ICE arrest undocumented immigrants just for their status. Clearly, Adams wants to walk that tightrope between enforcement and sanctuary.

Adding to the political circus, Adams issued this executive order just after federal charges against him were dropped—he’d been accused of accepting luxury travel and campaign cash from Turkish nationals, a case he says was pure political payback for criticizing the Biden administration’s immigration policies.