A state judge on Friday extended an order barring Mayor Eric Adams’ administration from allowing federal immigration authorities to re-establish offices on Rikers Island, handing a win to the City Council that filed a lawsuit to block the move, according to AM New York.
Judge Mary Rosado extended a temporary restraining order (TRO) she issued earlier last week that will continue to block the Adams administration’s executive order until the next court hearing in the case, scheduled for May 29.
The judge’s decision provided an early victory to the City Council in its efforts to halt ICE from returning to Rikers Island, the news agency reported. She appeared to be receptive to arguments from the council’s outside attorney — Daniel Kornstein — that extending the restraining order is simply “maintaining the status quo.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, in a news conference following the hearing, said the judge’s move helps protect undocumented New Yorkers who could be vulnerable to President Trump’s mass deportation efforts if and when ICE comes back to Rikers.
“This represents an important step by the court to protect public safety in our city and keep all New Yorkers safe,” the speaker said. “It validates our efforts to defend New York City from being made even more vulnerable to the Trump administration’s extreme agenda of unconstitutional activities by blocking the mayor from enabling these attacks on the safety and rights of the people he is supposed to represent.”
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who signed the executive after the mayor delegated the task to him, said the administration was “disappointed” by Rosado’s ruling. He pushed back on Kornstein’s claim that the move merely preserves the status quo, noting that the order’s stated purpose is to make it easier for federal authorities to target criminal gangs, the news outlet said.
