Latest news with #AdrianoEspaillat
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congress members trying to see ICE detainees at MDC Brooklyn jail barred from entry
NEW YORK — Officials at MDC Brooklyn barred three Democrat members of Congress from conducting an oversight visit of the jail's ICE detention operation, sparking a brief lockdown that led to cancelled legal visits for inmates seeing their defense lawyers. The Congress members, Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez and Dan Goldman, showed up at the notorious Sunset Park jail Wednesday morning, but were blocked at the door, then were briefly trapped between the iron gate in front of the jail and its entrance doors. Inside, about 20 defense attorneys visiting their clients abruptly had those visits cut short, multiple lawyers told the Daily News. Jail staff recalled those inmates back to their housing units, and wouldn't let their lawyers leave the MDC for about a half hour as the drama unfolded outside, the attorneys said. Those lawyers included Marc Agnifilo, who represents Sean 'Diddy' Combs and alleged healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, both of whom are housed in MDC, sources said. Agnifilo did not return messages seeking comment Wednesday. 'We were trapped between the gate and the building,' Velazquez told The News. She said that the lawmakers entered the gate and approached the place's front door, and Espaillat asked a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent outside to show his face. 'He [the agent] immediately jumped in front of the gate and locked us inside, and then went upstairs, climbed the steps for the federal building and locked the door so we could not get out to the street,' Velazquez said. 'We couldn't get into the building.' New York Immigration Coalition President Murad Awawdeh, who accompanied the lawmakers, said the ICE agent immediately confronted them, asking for ID, then triggered a lockdown and disappeared into the building. 'It was a circus that the federal prison bureau created,' he said. 'Why is the federal government going so far out of its way to prohibit anyone from seeing what's happening inside their facilities?' Eventually, an assistant to the warden came out, 'and he said what we knew he would say, that we have to request seven days in advance for a permit to allow us to go inside,' Velazquez said. That's against federal law, which gives Congress members the right to make unannounced visits, she said. Starting in June, MDC Brooklyn began holding more than 100 ICE detainees as part of an interagency agreement between ICE and and the Bureau of Prisons to use eight federal facilities across the country to hold immigrants ensnared in Donald Trump's mass deportation machine. 'Denying Members of Congress access to a federal detention facility is outrageous and unacceptable,' Espaillat said in a statement later Wednesday. 'MDC Brooklyn has a well-documented record of abuse. ICE should not be allowed to expand its reach through backdoor deals with federal prisons. This contract must be terminated now.' BOP spokeswoman Randilee Giamusso said Wednesday that the prison system would be happy to accommodate Congress member visits if they give advance notice. 'However, as a law enforcement entity, we must prioritize the safety of our staff, inmates and our facilities. We remain committed to working with our congressional partners,' Giamusso said. 'With proper notice, the BOP is happy to accommodate a request for a site visit from any congressional member.' Espaillat and several other Congress members sued the Trump administration last week, arguing that federal law specifically prohibits immigration detention facilities from requiring prior notice before members of Congress can make oversight visits. 'The Trump administration's lawless efforts to defy that constitutional authority are a gross abuse of power,' Goldman said, 'and we're taking them to court in defense of that principle and to find out what they're hiding.' _____
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats attempting to visit Brooklyn ICE facility reportedly ‘trapped' after being rebuffed by agents
Three Democratic New York City federal lawmakers attempted to gain entry to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn -- where as many as 100 illegal immigrants are being held, according to one state lawmaker. Images posted Wednesday by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) showed Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velazquez and Daniel Goldman walking toward the MDC with the Gowanus Expressway in the background. The NYIC said the lawmakers were refused entry to the prison, which has a history of high-profile inmates, including currently Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Luigi Mangione, and formerly ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen and MSNBC host Al Sharpton after he was arrested for trespassing on a Puerto Rican bombing range in 2001. "Masked agents refused [the lawmakers'] oversight access to Sunset Park [MDC] and have now trapped them between a fence and the facility," NYIC tweeted. "They can't get out or get in." A spokesperson for Espaillat told Fox News Digital officials "closed the gate and ran away for about 20-30 minutes." "No one could get in or out – either way – locking the members in for that time period." Fox News Digital reached out to Goldman and Velazquez for further comment or response. Fox News Digital also reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for their accounting of the incident. The situation marks the third time in recent weeks that lawmakers have attempted to gain entry to otherwise secure federal holding facilities. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was arrested for allegedly accosting federal agents outside a jail in her home city of Newark. McIver had been joined by several other lawmakers, including Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., son of the former senator, currently imprisoned separately on bribery charges. Reps. Kweisi Mfume, Sarah Elfreth, Johnny Olzewski Jr. and Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., were all similarly rebuffed at a Baltimore ICE office where a handful of detained immigrants were reportedly being held. ICE said at the time that the building, near Charles Center in the city's downtown, is not a true holding facility and only a processing center. In the Brooklyn case, New York Democrats have railed against ICE for some time for their use of the jail as a detention facility for illegal immigrants. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Bay Ridge, said in July that MDC Brooklyn recently began holding more than 100 detainees and claimed many have no criminal records. "ICE is disappearing immigrants, many of whom have no criminal records, into a jail that a judge called 'contemptuous of human life and dignity.' That should appall all of us," Gounardes said in a statement. "This isn't about public safety—it's a show of force meant to instill fear in our communities and keep immigrants in the shadows. It's incredibly dangerous, disturbing and un-American. It must end now." Prior to his visit Wednesday, Goldman – who served as Sen. Adam Schiff's, D-Calif., lead attorney in the congressional impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump – lambasted the president for his administration's decision to utilize the MDC. "Rather than continuing the Biden administration's efforts to boost staffing and reduce lockdowns at the MDC, the Trump administration has reversed those improvements and is now further overloading an already unsafe and understaffed facility with dozens of immigrants with no criminal history," Goldman said. According to ICE's Office of Congressional Relations website, members of Congress need only submit a request via email at least seven days in advance of their desired visit. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson explained to Fox News Digital that the seven-day requirement is to "prevent interference with the President's Article II authority to oversee executive department functions." The spokesperson also noted that "ICE law enforcement has seen a surge in assaults of 830%, as well as disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves" – in an apparent reference to McIver.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Espaillat, influential among NYC Latino voters, endorses Zohran Mamdani for mayor
NEW YORK — Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a key influencer among Latino voters, threw his weight behind Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy on Thursday. The endorsement comes after Espaillat supported ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his failed primary run. The congressmember also previously backed Mayor Eric Adams. Mamdani, who appears in early polling to be the frontrunner headed into November's general election, has collected institutional support from unions and other elected leaders since his 12-point win in June. Other key party leaders, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul, continue to express reluctance about Mamdani. 'The city is at a precipice, and people are forced to move out because they can't make ends meet,' Espaillat said at a Washington Heights press conference announcing the endorsement. 'And I think he represents that vision. I think more and more people are lining up with that vision.' Espaillat stressed the importance of unity among Democrats in supporting their nominee and said that he would campaign and make calls on Mamdani's behalf. 'I have never chosen to be outside of the Democratic lane, and we will continue to back those candidates, those nominees, that voters tell us that they support,' he said. Mamdani said Espaillat, the first Dominican American member of Congress, was a model for how to push back against President Trump. 'We have to fight the authoritarian administration in Washington, DC,' Mamdani said from the United Palace. 'We have to fight for the working people in this city who are being pushed out of the place that they call home. And I look at Congressmember Espaillat and I see a guide for how to do both of those things at the same time.'
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Mamdani lands endorsement of a top Cuomo backer in NYC mayoral primary
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in the race for mayor of America's most populous city, on Thursday landed the endorsement of one of New York City's most influential politicians. Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, arguably the city's most powerful Latino leader, is backing Mamdani, who, if elected in November, would become New York City's first Muslim mayor. "Thank you @EspaillatNY for joining this campaign for an affordable NYC and for fighting Trump's authoritarianism in DC," Mamdani wrote in a social media post. "Adriano and I know that the only way we can protect this city is by standing firm in our values and standing up for working class and immigrant New Yorkers." Mamdani and Espaillat are scheduled to team up at a campaign event on Thursday afternoon to formally announce the five-term congressman's endorsement of the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens. Espaillat's endorsement of Mamdani, who two weeks ago convincingly defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to win the Democratic Party mayoral nomination, is seen as a setback for Cuomo. Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 during his third term as governor amid multiple scandals and who was aiming for a political comeback, was endorsed in the Democratic primary by Espaillat. And the two politicians teamed up at a rally on the eve of the kickoff of early voting in the primary election. While Cuomo lost the Democratic mayoral nomination to Mamdani, he's running, as of now, on the November ballot as an independent, which state rules allow. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped his primary bid earlier this year amid sinking poll numbers in the wake of numerous controversies, is seeking re-election as an independent. Also on the ballot in the general election are Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor running as an independent, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who, for a second straight election, is the Republican mayoral nominee. Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's sweeping and controversial second-term immigration crackdown. And Espaillat, who backed Adams in the mayor's 2021 election, was thought to have grown frustrated with the mayor's working relationship with Trump on immigration enforcement. Adams' poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged "long-running" scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials. The mayor made repeated overtures to Trump and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown. News of Espaillat's endorsement of Mamdani was first reported by The New York Times. Mamdani surged to a primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City's high cost of living. Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City's vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) "tuition-free," freezing rents on municipal housing, offering "free childcare" for children up to age 5, and setting up government-run grocery stores. And thanks in part to the efforts of a massive grassroots army of volunteers, he rode a wave of support from younger and progressive voters to catapult into first place. Since his primary victory, Republicans have relentlessly painted Mamdani as an extremist and anchored him to Democrats across the country ahead of next year's midterm elections. The attacks stretched from down ballot on the campaign trail all the way up to the White House, with Trump claiming that Mamdani was "a 100% Communist Lunatic."
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Espaillat Endorses Mamdani for Mayor, After Backing Cuomo and Adams
Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner in the New York City mayor's race, will be endorsed on Thursday by Representative Adriano Espaillat, the city's most powerful Latino leader and one of the most influential among voters. His support follows endorsements for Mr. Mamdani from other prominent New York Democrats, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and major unions as he seeks to broaden his coalition ahead of the general election in November. Mr. Espaillat said in a statement that Mr. Mamdani brought 'clarity, discipline and a deep commitment to tackling the stubborn issues facing New York City,' including affordability. 'He has a strong vision of how to make New York serve those working to realize the American dream,' he said. 'I'm proud to endorse him because New Yorkers deserve a mayor who will wake up every day and fight for them.' Landing the backing of Mr. Espaillat, who is the first Dominican American member of Congress and who represents northern Manhattan and the Bronx, is significant for symbolic and practical reasons. He is the latest member of the New York congressional delegation to back Mr. Mamdani, joining Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Jerrold Nadler and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Others, most notably Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, have not endorsed anyone in the race. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
