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New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed optimism about immigration policy under Donald Trump, criticizing the Biden administration’s inaction and hoping that Trump’s appointees, like border czar Tom Homan, will better address the needs of big cities.
“I am willing to sit down with this administration like I tried to sit down with the previous administration in my 10 trips to Washington to say: we have a problem that is overrunning our cities,” Adams said. “I’m hoping this administration will hear what I’m saying and listen to some of the ideas that I have been pushing for … close to two years now.”
Mayor Eric Adams has advocated for federal policies, including city funding for asylum seeker support, stricter border security with background checks, relocation of new arrivals to areas with population decline, and work authorization for them. He said Trump’s electoral gains in New York were predictable, as immigration was a top voter concern. Despite his strained relationship with the Democratic Party and recent federal charges, Adams likened this oversight to other issues he’s flagged in past elections.
“When I talked about public safety in 2021, it was ignored. When I talked about migrants and asylum seekers in 2023, it was ignored,” said Adams. “[In] 2021 the top of the issues? Public safety. [In] 2023 the top of the issues for voters? Immigration.”
NEW: New York City Mayor Eric Adams appears to be open to complying with Trump’s mass deportation plan, says the American people have spoken.
Adams also ripped one reporter after she tried cornering him on the deportation issue.
Reporter: Will you express concerns with… pic.twitter.com/5VkCyISNgE
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 12, 2024
Adams opposed drastic measures proposed by Trump appointees like Homan, who has pledged workplace raids and mass deportations, stating, “I’m not a supporter of mass deportation.”
The mayor offered no specific plans for dealing with a more aggressive ICE, aside from briefing city agencies on laws limiting local cooperation with ICE, a response that disappointed immigration advocates.
“The mayor needs to send a clear message that the city of New York will not be participating, because that is what our local laws say, and that we are against family separation and harming communities that are the lifeblood of the local economy,” Murad Awawdeh, chief executive of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in an interview.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams accused Adams of actually making the problems of crime and immigration worse for Democrats, and accused Adams of warming up to Trump:
“Just as he did in 2022, the mayor is blaming progressives for not putting out the flames he fanned on issues of public safety and immigration, among others. He correctly identifies problems that are top issues for our constituents, but rather than elevate the solutions available, he joined his fellow conservatives in fearmongering and scapegoating.”
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