In a stunning reversal of course, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is calling for reform and perhaps an end to the city’s “sanctuary” status. There has been a reported spike in crimes involving undocumented immigrants that are in the city, and several high-profile examples. A January incident in Times Square involving a group of migrants attacking and beating two police officers and the subsequent quick release of the men has sparked outrage in the city.
One of the men was filmed flipping a double bird and smiling defiantly as he walked out of the jail. Close to 200,000 migrants have arrived in the city in the last 18 months, and the city is stretched to the breaking point, leading Adams to backtrack on his long-help stance of supporting New York as a sanctuary city.
Schools, hotels, and community centers have been utilized to house the influx, and now Adams is warning that the surge will ‘destroy’ the city. The policy forbids city officials from asking a person’s immigration status or reporting to federal authorities, leaving migrants to break local laws, often without consequence. Adams recently said during a town hall event, “We need to modify the sanctuary city law that if you commit a felony or violent act, we should be able to turn you over to ICE and have you deported.”
The sanctuary city policy started in the 1980s under Mayor Ed Koch. It dictated that immigrants couldn’t be arrested for being illegal, and the city would not cooperate with immigration authorities unless court ordered to do so. Of course, that was well before Joe Biden effectively opened the orders, and hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fled to the relative safety of so-called sanctuary cities like New York.
This new attitude stands in stark contrast to what Adams has previously said. When campaigning in 2021, he said: “We should protect our immigrants. Period. New York City will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration.” As recently as last month, he was defending the city policy. Nikki Haley criticized Adams for encouraging illegal immigration, to which Adams replied, “This has nothing to do with sanctuary cities, migrants and asylum seekers are paroled into the country, they’re here legally.”
Much of the change of heart is a result of public outrage. City services, including the NYPD, are being cut in order to divert money to housing immigrants. When some of these same people who are living on the New York City taxpayer’s dime commit crimes without consequence, public outrage grows. The city expects to spend 10.6 billion by the end of 2025 and has announced a cut in police by a fifth and education cuts totaling $1 billion over two years.
In September, Adams made some remarks that had liberals in other sanctuary cities angry. He said: “Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.” Adams said Tuesday: “I don’t believe people who are violent in our city and commit repeated crimes should have the privilege of being in our city. You don’t have the right to be in our city and tarnish the overwhelming number who are here following the rules. I want to go back to the standards of the previous mayors who, I believe, subscribed to my belief that people who are suspected of committing serious crimes in this city should be held accountable.”
The reversal of course by Adams comes as other cities like Chicago debate their own sanctuary policies. With undocumented immigrants being dropped off under the cover of night in the streets of cities like San Diego and residents watching crimes being committed with no repercussions, it is easy to see why so many are fed up. If the largest city in America reverses course and starts holding migrants responsible for criminal activity, perhaps other liberal strongholds will follow suit.
Watch Adams here:
