New York City mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday expressed an openness to deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, further distancing himself from more progressive members of his party on the issue.
He said he hopes to meet with President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for border czar, Tom Homan.
“I would love to sit down with the border czar and hear his thoughts on how we are going to address those who are harming our citizens,” Adams said on Tuesday. “Find out what his plans are, where our common grounds are. We can work together.”
Adams made sure to clarify that deportation out of the Big Apple should only be reserved for violent illegal aliens, not productive illegal immigrants or “Dreamers.”
“Those who are here committing crimes, robberies, shooting at police officers, raping innocent people, have been a harm to our country. Those are the people I am talking about,” Adams said.
“I made it clear that I’m not going to be warring with this administration. I’m going to be working with this administration,” he added.
Adams has suggested that the criminal charges brought against him were, at least partially, politically motivated. He claimed he was targeted because of his criticisms of President Joe Biden’s overly-permissive immigration policy.
“Know what’s interesting? I want you to all go back and Google Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama,” Adams said. “Google what they said about those who commit crimes in our city and … in our country. They said those who commit crimes need to get out right away. That was their position. So this is not a new position.”
But, Adams claimed, progressives have grown afraid to speak out against illegal immigration because of cancel culture.
“Well, cancel me because I’m going to protect the people of the city. And if you come into this country, in this city, and think you’re going to harm innocent New Yorkers and innocent migrants and asylum seekers, this is not the mayor you want to be in the city under. “
This hardened stance comes as New York City has battled a massive influx in asylum-seekers, illegal immigrants, and refugees throughout Biden’s tenure.
“I’m an American. Americans have certain rights. The Constitution is for Americans. And I’m not a person that snuck into this country. My ancestors have been here for a long time, for a long time,” the mayor said.
Adams won his mayoral seat by largely running as a moderate force, specifically by touting his law enforcement background and promising to clamp down on crime.
“I’ve said it over and over again. We need to fix the immigration problem in this city. The American people said that. I don’t know if you really watch the election results. The president-elect hit the popular vote, hit the electoral vote. He was not indecisive on what his positions were. He was clear we need to secure our border deal with the immigration issue.”
“The American people heard it. They voted for it,” he said.