New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he will “welcome” the help of border czar Tom Homan to arrest criminal illegal aliens like the ones who attacked a Customs and Border Protection officer in the city over the weekend.
If Homan assists New York City in the apprehension of “dangerous people,” Adams told reporters, he will support it, adding that if the border czar is going “after everyday individuals who are trying to complete the path to be a citizen, then I don’t think we should do that.”
Adam’s comments following Homan’s pledge Monday morning to “flood the zone” of sanctuary cities, among them New York.
“Sanctuary cities are now our priority,” the border czar said, adding that “sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals. President [Donald] Trump is not going to tolerate it, and I’ll work every day with [Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem] to make sure we get as many bad guys, illegal aliens, out of this country that we can.”
Homan’s comments came at a press conference less than 48 hours after two illegal aliens with criminal records attacked an off-duty CBP officer in a park in New York City. The officer is recovering after having been shot in the face and arm in what is thought to have been an attempted robbery. Both of the illegal aliens involved in the incident had previously been arrested in the Big Apple, but were released back onto the city streets.
New York City is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement does not honor detainer requests to turn illegal aliens over to Immigration and Customs Enforcment after serving time in jail or prison.
Adams is one of a number of New York City politicians to express, in varying degrees, some level of concern over ICE enforcement operations.
New York state Assemblyman and Democrat mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who is running against Adams, condemned ICE arrests in a recent social media post.
“ICE arrests have skyrocketed in recent weeks, breaking up families and spreading fear in our neighborhoods,” Mamdani wrote on the social media platform X on July 17. “This is what happens when a mayor rolls out of the red carpet for authoritarianism,” Mamdani continued, referring to Adams.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also running as an independent alongside Adams in the November election, has criticized ICE agents for wearing masks when they make arrests.
“If you’re not embarrassed by what you’re doing, show us who you are,” Cuomo said in a recent video shared on social media. “No law enforcement agent should be allowed to wear a mask to cover their face.”
Democrats’ criticism of ICE enforcement operations goes far beyond New York City. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has called ICE arrests of illegal aliens “as reckless as they are cruel.”
“[President] Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy,” Newsom said in June.
Los Angeles’ Democrat mayor, Karen Bass, has repeatedly criticized ICE operations in her city, recently referring to them as a “reign of terror.” During an Interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz on “This Week,” Bass referred to ICE agents as “masked men in unmarked cars, no license plate, no real uniforms, jumping out of cars with rifles and snatching people off the street, leading a lot of people to think maybe kidnappings were taking place.”
Rhode Island state Rep. Enrique Sanchez, also a Democrat, referred to ICE agents as “Nazi Gestapo ICE thugs” in a recent post on social media.
Despite criticism of ICE agents and operations, Trump administration officials are doubling down on their agenda to arrest and remove illegal aliens, especially criminal illegal aliens.
“We will not allow sanctuary politicians, activist hacks, or rioters to stand in our way of protecting the American people,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. “Our message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”