In an interview with 1010 WINS Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams defended his decision to remove himself from implementing an executive order that will now bring ICE back onto Rikers Island.

“I did not recuse myself. People play around with terminology. I delegated. I’m the mayor,” he said. “I have a first deputy mayor on board, Randy Mastro, an excellent attorney, excellent first deputy mayor. When he came on board, I delegated.”

What You Need To Know

  • On Wedesday, Mayor Adams defended his decision to bring back immigration authorities to Riker's Island and have his first deputy mayor sign the order into effect

  • Since being signed on Tuesday night, critics and immigration advocates worry that ICE's presence on the jail complex could lead to controversial deportations

  • Under NYC's sanctuary city laws, city agencies cannot cooperate with ICE on civil immigration enforcement efforts

In a surprise move, it was Randy Mastro, the mayor’s new first deputy mayor who signed the order Tuesday night.

“I said I need for you to look at this with an unbiased eye so no one can say there is bias in the determination,” Adams said. 

Since Trump’s Department of Justice moved to drop corruption charges against Adams, there have been allegations of a quid pro quo between the White House and City Hall, that in return for Adams’ charges going away, he would crack down on migrants in the city.

But the mayor denied this Wednesday.

“I swore in federal court that there was no beholding and first people criticized that ‘hey, you have a case hanging over your head.’ Now no case is hanging over my head. Now they’re becoming creative again,” he said.

“The mayor of New York City is Eric Adams. The buck stops with Eric Adams,” Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said.

Awawdeh and other immigrant advocates worry the move will lead to further controversial deportations.

“It’s incredibly jarring knowing this is how he’s operating in this when we’re seeing people across our city, our state and our country being black bag snatched and disappeared by ICE,” Awawdeh said.

Under NYC’s sanctuary city laws, city agencies cannot cooperate with civil immigration enforcement efforts.

Some city officials believe the Rikers order is in violation of the sanctuary city law.

“Unfortunately, our mayor is continuing the lies, deceiving people about what our policies didn’t and did allow. It is disgraceful, it is embarrassing, and it is sad,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said on X.  

Immigration groups and city officials say they are looking at possibly challenging the order in court or passing legislation to stop ICE from being on the jail complex.