Mayor Eric Adams reiterated his criticism of the current immigration system at his weekly briefing with reporters on Tuesday.

“We can’t keep kicking the can, not down the road, but to cities. Our immigration system is a failure and in fact it’s an embarrassment and we have to do a better job,” Adams said.  

Adams has been a vocal critic of the president’s handling of the migrant crisis for more than a year. The mayor pleaded for federal funds and aid from the White House, but got little help in return.  

What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams says he’s against mass deportations, but failed to give any details on how the city would stop immigration authorities from coming to the city 

  • Adams again criticized the federal immigration system, calling it a “failure” and “embarrassment” 

  • The mayor also had some words for his fellow Democrats following the outcome of the election, saying they were out of step with working-class issues 

Adams said the election outcome was a sign that the migrant crisis was a top issue all along. 

“If we would’ve had a unified voice of employment of controlling our borders, decompression strategy, making sure those who are repeat offenders don’t stay in our city,” he said. “This is what I’ve been talking about and folks just caught up to it.” 

The city has spent billions of dollars on housing and feeding hundreds of thousands of migrants who have come to the city since the spring of 2022. 

As of this week, more than 223,000 migrants have arrived with more than 58,000 in the city’s care. 

“This hurt our city. It hurt working class, low-income New Yorkers, and that is problematic, that is troubling to me,” he said. “And I’m angry about it and I shared that anger each time I went to Washington D.C.”

Adams, a Democrat, went so far as to attack his own party for failing to connect with voters on immigration and other issues heading into Election Day amid President-elect Donald Trump making gains in the city.

It was the strongest showing for a Republican in a presidential race in New York in 36 years.

“This far left agenda that I’ve been talking about for a long time where we’re not focusing on working-class people,” he said. “I’ve said this right here in this same room. Some of the things you talk about are not what working-class people are talking about.”  

With the incoming Trump presidency, there are concerns growing over potential plans for mass deportations. 

Adams said he doesn’t support the policy but when asked directly whether the city would cooperate, the mayor said: “I’m not engaging in that anymore. Fix immigration so that no city will have to go through what I went through. All this other conversation is not fixing the problem.” 

Adams pushed back when asked about his immigration stance being a reflection of him trying to curry favor with Trump and his own federal indictment. 

“This is not about trying to get anyone’s favor. This is about making sure we treat this city and the residents of the city in a humane way. And that I listen to both sides,” he said. “That’s the difference between being a mayor and someone who could just give opinions.” 

Adams said Tuesday he would not join the Trump administration if he was offered an appointment.