NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been temporarily barred from moving forward with plans to bring federal immigration authorities back to Rikers Island.
The decision came from Manhattan Judge Mary Rosado, who granted a temporary restraining order following a lawsuit filed by the City Council aimed at halting any involvement of ICE or other federal agencies at the jail facility.
“City Hall and all other New York City government officials, officers, personnel, and agencies are prohibited from taking any steps toward negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government regarding federal law enforcement presence on Department of Correction property,” Rosado wrote in her ruling.
The restraining order will remain in effect until at least Friday morning, when a court hearing is scheduled for both parties to present their arguments.
Mayor Adams’ team has insisted that the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Rikers would be limited strictly to criminal investigations, not civil immigration enforcement.
The City Council disagreed, warning that a renewed ICE presence at the jail could lead to widespread deportations and would contradict New York City’s status as a sanctuary city.
ICE previously operated from an office on Rikers Island but was ousted in 2014 after the city, under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, enacted legislation barring such cooperation.

{Matzav.com}