Mayor Eric Adams, NYC call on ICE to end migrant courthouse arrests immediately
The city Law Department filed court papers in support of a lawsuit that seeks to halt the arrests by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 26 Federal Plaza, arguing the blitzes are driving fear among the Big Apple's roughly 3 million immigrants.
'From my first days as a rookie cop to my current role as mayor of New York City, my job is, and has always been, to keep law-abiding New Yorkers safe,' Adams said in a statement. 'We should allow New Yorkers to feel secure to attend legal proceedings in their pursuit to obtain legal status.'
Advertisement
The arrests have driven many to avoid courts, police and other basic city services for fear of detention and removal, sending otherwise law-abiding immigrants underground, claims the suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other legal groups.
5 Mayor Adams is taking his strongest stance against the Trump Administration yet by joining in on a lawsuit seeking to end ICE arrests at Manhattan immigration court.
Stephen Yang
5 Adams and the city law department argue that the arrests 'undermines the public interest' by 'deterring City residents from participating in immigration proceedings.'
Corbis via Getty Images
Advertisement
The Adams administration's public support of the suit, filed in Manhattan federal court earlier this month, marks the mayor's strongest stance yet against President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Adams has previously appeared to cozy up to the White House, including pushing to rid the city of its sanctuary city status and to bring back ICE to Rikers Island — moves that he has repeatedly defended in court.
Hizzoner and the city, in the amicus brief filed Tuesday, argued the ICE arrests at 26 Federal Plaza are not only illegal, but 'undermines the public interest,' by 'deterring City residents from participating in immigration proceedings.'
'Free access to courts is a pillar of the rule of law, but our judicial system cannot work as it should, as it must, if courthouses are used as traps for those who are simply following what the law requires,' the filing states.
Advertisement
5 The city's top lawyer, Muriel Goode-Trufant, said that the city has become the 'epicenter of the Trump administration's courthouse arrest campaign.'
William Farrington
The city's top lawyer, Muriel Goode-Trufant, said that the Big Apple has become the 'epicenter of the Trump administration's courthouse arrest campaign,' constraining the ability for immigrants — and New Yorkers at-large — to seek justice through the legal system.
'With every illegal courthouse arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is chipping away at the bedrock principles of fairness and due process that support our entire system of justice,' Goode-Trufant said in a statement.
5 One of the several lawsuits filed over the ICE arrests scored a victory last week when a judge ordered the agency to immediately improve conditions at a makeshift holding cell inside the federal immigration courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza.
NYIC
Advertisement
A study of federal records by THE CITY revealed that half of all immigration court arrests in the country this spring occurred in Manhattan, but more recently, those busts have ground to a halt as immigrants have largely ceased showing up to courthouses altogether.
While this is the first time the Adams administration has supported a wholesale end to the arrests, the city filed briefs earlier this summer in support of individuals caught up in the ICE dragnet — including several public school students.
'No one in our city should feel forced to hide in the shadows or be afraid to use resources, and that includes sending children to school, going to a hospital when sick, calling 911 when in danger, or going to a court hearing when called upon to do so,' Adams said Tuesday.
5 'Free access to courts is a pillar of the rule of law, but our judicial system cannot work as it should, as it must, if courthouses are used as traps for those who are simply following what the law requires,' the filing states.
Getty Images
One of the several lawsuits filed over the ICE arrests scored a victory last week when a judge ordered the agency to immediately improve conditions at a makeshift holding cell inside the federal immigration courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza.
The order was walked back slightly when government lawyers successfully argued that detained immigrants should not have access to toothbrushes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump called Orban to win his support for Ukraine joining EU: Report
President Trump called Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday to win his support for Ukraine to join the European Union (EU), a conversation that came after discussions with European leaders who were at the White House, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The talk with Orban, one of the staunchest Trump allies in Europe, resulted from the president's Monday deliberations with European leaders who were in Washington, along with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The top European officials asked if the president could utilize his sway over the Hungarian prime minister to force the nationalist leader to do away with his opposition to Ukraine's joining the EU, a goal Kyiv has long sought, the outlet reported. Hungary expressed willingness to host the next summit, featuring both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has backed the idea of a Putin-Zelensky summit, after which a trilateral meeting would take place between the two leaders and the U.S. president. The location and timing for the meeting are unclear. The White House is eyeing a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky in Budapest, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing a White House official and another person close to the administration. Orban, who has a warm relationship with Putin, has tried to block or delay the EU's attempts to send weapons to Ukraine in the past, along with, at times, objecting to sanctions against the Kremlin. Neither the White House nor Orban's office has commented on the call. Orban said on Tuesday on Facebook that Ukraine's membership in the EU 'does not provide any security guarantees,' therefore, 'linking membership with security guarantees is unnecessary and dangerous.' Trump's call with Orban came the same day as the president's discussion with Putin, which lasted about 40 minutes and took place without European leaders or Zelensky being in the room with the commander-in-chief. The gathering of European officials and Zelensky in Washington on Monday came just days after Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, met with Putin, alongside two other Russian officials, on Friday in Alaska. Rubio now leads the recently formed joint commission that will work on drafting a security guarantees proposal for Ukraine. The commission is made up of U.S., European, Ukrainian and NATO officials. Trump, who has pushed to end the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict that has raged for about three-and-a-half years, signaled openness to providing air support for Ukraine as part of security guarantees. 'We're willing to help them with things, especially, probably, if you talk about by air because nobody has stuff we have,' the president said Tuesday.
Wall Street Journal
14 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Backs Giant Arizona Copper Project After Court Setback
President Trump signaled support for a giant copper mine in Arizona following a meeting with the heads of two of the world's biggest mining companies, a day after the project was delayed by a court injunction. The project, called Resolution Copper, has been under development by mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Group BHP -0.55%decrease; red down pointing triangle for roughly two decades, but it has faced legal challenges from Native American people, religious groups and others who say the planned mine will turn a sacred area into a crater.
Wall Street Journal
14 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Allies Still Waiting for Tariff Relief on Autos and Steel
TOKYO—In return for billions of dollars of investment pledges and promises to buy more American goods, U.S. allies in Asia and Europe say President Trump agreed to lower tariffs on key exports such as cars and steel. Weeks later, they are still waiting.
