Court hearing to determine if ICE can have office on Rikers Island
RIKERS ISLAND, N.Y. (PIX11) – A court hearing that will be held in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday aims to determine whether ICE and other federal agencies can set up shop on Rikers Island.
The Adams administration is pushing for an ICE office, with Mayor Eric Adams arguing that putting federal agents on Rikers Island will help get violent criminals out of New York City.
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'We are moving full steam ahead to have these federal authorities on the island,' said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry in an interview with PIX11's Dan Mannarino. 'This is a good move, and this is going to keep New Yorkers safe. We are going after these public safety threats.'
ICE had been on Rikers Island for decades until 2014, when the City Council kicked the agency out. The Legal Aid Society and other criminal justice advocates argued that ICE on Rikers Island is a breach of the city's sanctuary principles.
Advocates said ICE has been accused of depriving defendants of due process, some of who may be in the U.S. legally as well.
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
'It's particularly problematic when we have an administration that has unleased ICE to have masked officers snatching students off the streets, to have individuals whisked away out of the country on spurious gang allegations that are unfounded, without any opportunity to see a judge,' said Peter Markowitz, the director of the Immigration Justice Clinic at the Cardozo School of Law.
The hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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