Sign in Subscribe
Mayors

Judge Blocks Mayor Eric Adams' Plan to Reopen ICE Office on Rikers Island

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A New York state Supreme Court judge has blocked Mayor Eric Adams' plan to reopen an office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Rikers Island, citing an "impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest." Justice Mary Rosado issued her ruling on Monday, declaring Adams' executive order on the matter "null and void." The decision comes after Rosado issued a preliminary injunction in June blocking the order, siding with the City Council, which opposed the return of federal agents to city jails.

Key Takeaways:

  • The judge's ruling was based on an "impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest," citing Mayor Eric Adams' federal corruption case dismissal and his subsequent executive order to allow ICE to return to Rikers Island.
  • The City Council, led by Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, Criminal Justice Committee Chair Sandy Nurse, and Immigration Committee Chair Alexa Avilés, applauded the decision, stating that it makes the city safer and prevents "Trump's political agenda of using ICE to disappear residents without due process and separate families."
  • The judge, Justice Mary Rosado, wrote that Public servants "must avoid even the appearance of impropriety," and Adams' order, which delegated the decision to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, amounted to a violation of city law and court precedent.
  • The return of ICE to Rikers Island relied on a carveout in a 2014 law that prohibited federal immigration officials from operating on the island, but allowed for an office for criminal cases.
  • The Adams administration plans to appeal the decision, with First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro arguing that the substance of the executive order fully complies with local law and that there is no actual conflict of interest.

Statistics:

  • 2014: The year Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation that expanded the city's sanctuary policies, prohibited federal immigration officials from operating on Rikers Island, and created the carveout for an office on the island for criminal cases.
  • 2: The number of city jail facilities where ICE agents were initially barred from operating in 2014, including Rikers Island.
  • 2014 (Legistar): The website where the 2014 legislation that created the carveout for an office on Rikers Island for criminal cases can be found.
  • February 12 (DocumentCloud): The date of the resignation letter from then-acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who wrote that Mayor Eric Adams' attorneys "repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo" for the dismissal of his federal corruption case.

Sources:

  • (https://t.co/IjEDNjKkZ4) - Justice Mary Rosado's ruling on Monday
  • (https://www.nyc.gov/assets/home/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2025/eo-50.pdf) - Mayor Eric Adams' executive order on the matter
  • (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25527077-acting-us-attorney-danielle-sassoons-resignation-letter/) - Then-acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon's resignation letter
  • (https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/13/judge-blocks-mayor-from-allowing-ice-on-rikers/) - The City Council's statement on the preliminary injunction blocking the order
  • (https://gothamist.com/news/mayor-adams-wants-immigration-officers-back-on-rikers-can-he-do-that) - Phil Desgranges, the attorney in charge of criminal law reform at the Legal Aid Society, speaking on the ban on ICE agents at Rikers Island

Read more