Judge Stops Mayor's Move to Open ICE Office on Rikers Island

A state judge on Monday blocked the city from allowing federal immigration agents to open an office on Rikers Island, citing a conflict of interest from Mayor Eric Adams after the dismissal of his federal corruption case.

State Supreme Court Judge Mary V. Rosado said Executive Order 50, signed in April by Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to open an office on Rikers Island so federal officials can conduct investigations on undocumented immigrants that are alleged to be involved in criminal activity, was "illegal, null and void." The ruling was made after the City Council sued the Adams Administration to stop the move. 

The judge cited legal rulings and the New York City Charter where a public servant cannot make municipal decisions that affects them directly. She noted the mayor's meeting with Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Border Czar Thomas Homan, and the dismissal of his corruption case by the U.S. Department of Justice, among other evidence, that led to her decision. 

"The court need not reach whether there actually was a conflict of interest because the timeline of public statements and the ongoing criminal prosecution so clearly demonstrate an impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest," Rosado wrote in her ruling. 

The court's decision is a major win for the city, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, Criminal Justice Chair Sandy Nurse and Immigration Chair Alexa Avilés said in a joint statement. 

"It strengthens public safety in our city and the constitutional rights of all New Yorkers," the Council Members said. "Trump’s political agenda of using ICE to disappear residents without due process and separate families harms our communities and undermines our collective safety. We’re pleased that the court recognized Mayor Adams and Randy Mastro’s attempt to do Trump’s bidding and betray their obligation to New Yorkers as unlawful. This decision protects the civil rights of all New Yorkers from being violated and makes our city safer.”

Mastro vowed to file an appeal and noted the judge did not dispute “the substance of our executive order," according to the New York Daily News. 

“There is also no actual conflict of interest here, and the mayor responded to the appearance of a conflict by delegating this issue to me as his first deputy mayor — whom the judge herself described as an ‘accomplished and highly educated attorney’ — and I acted entirely independently of the mayor,” Mastro said in his statement.