NYC Council Seeks to Halt Adams-Backed ICE Office at Rikers (1)

The New York City Council on Tuesday filed a lawsuit to halt Mayor Eric Adams’ (D) executive order allowing the Trump administration to open an immigration office on Rikers Island.

The council alleges Adams issued the order as part of a quid pro quo agreement that ensured the federal government dropped its corruption charges against the him in exchange for allowing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to operate at the prison and carry out the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.

The executive order, issued April 8, is the “poisoned fruit of Mayor Adams’s deal with the Trump Administration,” the Manhattan Supreme Court complaint says.

The order limits ICE’s work to criminal investigations, but the council maintains the Trump administration has repeatedly confirmed it will use the office and ICE’s presence to “supercharge their mass deportation efforts.” That would violate city law, the complaint says.

Adams recused himself from the decision and enlisted First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro to sign the order after an “independent assessment” in which Mastro determined that New York City law allows federal immigration authorities to maintain office space on Department of Corrections property, the complaint says.

Mastro, who’s also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, was appointed to the deputy role on April 1, six months after he withdrew from being considered to lead the city’s law department because of opposition from the city council.

“Mayor Adams denies having recused himself from the decision, and conflicts-of-interest laws that bar the compromised Mayor from himself taking official action also bar him from enlisting Mastro to do his bidding,” the lawsuit says.

Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, accused the council of spreading misinformation and filing a lawsuit that “seems baseless and contrary to the public interest in protecting New Yorkers from violent criminals.” She also said Adams delegated the decision to Mastro to ensure there was “never even the appearance of any conflict.”

Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP represents the city council.

The case is The Council of the City of New York v. Adams, N.Y. Sup. Ct., docket number unavailable, complaint filed 4/15/25.