First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro announced that Rikers Island would be reopened to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. ICE had been banned from the island for a decade.
In an executive order opening the island to ICE, Adams wrote that the safety of New York City has been “jeopardized by violent transnational gangs and criminal enterprises—including transnational gangs such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua—that have been designated by federal authorities as foreign terrorist organizations.”
“Rikers Island is the site of correctional facilities under the jurisdiction of the DOC and currently houses members and associates of designated terrorist organizations among other individuals incarcerated there,” the order says, noting there is “historical precedent for federal law enforcement authorities to have office space and personnel on Rikers Island as recently as a decade ago.”
The order declares that “federal law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are hereby authorized to designate personnel to maintain office space on land over which DOC [Department of Correction] has jurisdiction for the purpose of criminal enforcement and criminal investigations only.”
In 2014, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio signed laws limiting New York City’s cooperation with federal immigration practices and ending the ability for ICE to be present at Rikers Island.
“Mass deportation has not only pulled apart thousands of New York City families, it has also undermined public safety in our communities and imposed disproportionate penalties on immigrant parents and spouses who these families depend on for emotional and financial support,” de Blasio said at the time. “Our City is not served when New Yorkers with strong ties in the community are afraid to engage with law enforcement because they fear deportation. Today, we send another message to Washington that the time to act has come to provide relief to so many individuals who contribute to our nation’s growth.”
