April 15, 2025
Today, Speaker Adams and the New York City Council SUED the Mayor and his administration, challenging his plan to re-embed ICE agents at Rikers. This order would pave way for ICE to separate more New Yorkers from their loved ones. We applaud the council’s quick action and are proud to see true New Yorker Spirit in action!
Twenty years ago, young people at Rikers alerted IDP, Families for Freedom and others to a troubling practice. They were told they had a “legal visit,” but instead of their lawyer, they found themselves being interrogated and coerced by ICE agents. Their stories sparked organizing and advocacy, and eventually action.
In 2014, the NYC Council passed legislation that limited when the NYPD and DOC could collude with ICE, and banned ICE from a permanent base of operation on Rikers. In legislating, the Council made clear: our city cannot and must not be in the business of mass deportation. City agencies must build trust with immigrants so they can serve all New Yorkers.
The Mayor wants to roll back the clock a decade to a time when our city aided in the detention and deportation of thousands of people annually. His executive order uses fearmongering to attempt to fool New Yorkers into believing this is about their safety, when in reality, it enables draconian attacks on the immigrants in our communities and threatens the welfare and public safety of all New Yorkers.
Giving ICE unfettered access to people already facing egregious conditions on Rikers Island would undermine the very basic principles of due process, tear apart families, and perpetuate the double punishment of Black immigrants and other immigrants of color who are most likely to be targeted.
Today, as the New York City Council defends our historic sanctuary laws, we must all join together in resisting the attacks on our communities. As New Yorkers, now is the time to uphold our values of dignity and justice for all.