NYC Council sues Mayor Adams over ICE’s return to Rikers Island

NEW YORK - The New York City Council has filed a lawsuit against Mayor Eric Adams over his administration’s decision to bring federal immigration agents back to Rikers Island. Lawmakers accuse the mayor of abusing his authority and allege the move was part of a politically motivated agreement with the Trump administration.

What we know:

The City Council filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, challenging an April 8 executive order that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume operations at the Rikers Island jail complex. The lawsuit claims the mayor violated the city charter by delegating the signing of the order to his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro.

The council is also seeking a temporary restraining order to block the executive action while the court reviews the case.

Although the lawsuit does not argue that the move violates the city’s sanctuary laws, it alleges Adams participated in a "corrupt bargain," suggesting the ICE order was the "purchase price" for the Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him earlier this year.

The backstory:

ICE previously maintained a presence at Rikers until 2014, when New York City’s sanctuary laws took effect. Mayor Adams has faced pressure from former Trump border czar Tom Homan to reverse that policy.

In December, Adams told Fox News that Homan had requested renewed ICE access and that the administration was considering "exceptions." Two months later, after another meeting with Homan and shortly after the Justice Department dropped federal charges against Adams, the mayor announced ICE would return to Rikers to assist in criminal investigations.

To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Adams authorized Mastro to issue and sign the executive order. The lawsuit argues this move was unprecedented and illegal.

What they're saying:

"The mayor has compromised our city’s sovereignty and is now threatening the safety of all New Yorkers," said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running to replace Adams in the upcoming election. "When New Yorkers are afraid of cooperating with our city’s own police and discouraged from reporting crime and seeking help, it makes everyone in our city less safe."

In court filings, the council emphasized, "No mayor has ever delegated executive order powers, and no executive order has been signed by anyone but the mayor."

Mastro pushed back on that characterization, calling the suit politically motivated.

"This reads less like a lawsuit than a political polemic," Mastro said. "The lawsuit that's been filed basically concedes that the executive order, on its face, is legal and complies with local law. End of story."

The other side:

Mayor Adams’ spokesperson, Kayla Mamelak Altus, said in a statement that the city is reviewing the lawsuit but defended the order as a lawful effort to protect New Yorkers from violent criminals.

Mastro also emphasized that ICE’s new role at Rikers will be limited to supporting gang and drug investigations, not enforcing civil immigration violations.

"ICE will only be assisting with criminal investigations, not civil enforcement — meaning they won’t be investigating people for the crime of entering the country illegally," Mastro said.