lev radin / Shutterstock.com
CV NEWS FEED // Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams voiced support for making changes to the Big Apple’s “sanctuary city” status amid a surge of crime perpetrated by illegal migrants.
“We should not be allowing people who are repeatedly committing crimes to remain here,” Adams said during a Monday town hall in Brooklyn. New York “need[s] to modify [its] sanctuary city law” because of “[migrants] who are committing crimes.”
“If you commit a felony, a violent act, we should be able to turn you over to [U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] and have you deported,” the mayor went on to say.
While campaigning for mayor in 2021, Adams said he would “protect” the city’s “sanctuary” status if voters elected him. “Yes, New York City will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration,” he wrote in an X (then known as Twitter) post at the time.
FOX News national correspondent Bill Melugin called Adams’ shift “a stunning turnaround.”
The Daily Wire reported that “Adams’ remarks come after a group of violent illegal aliens viciously beat two New York City Police Department [NYPD] officers late last month and were later released due to the city’s Democrat sanctuary city policies.”
As soon as the migrants were released, “they flipped off reporters while smirking,” The Daily Wire added. “The illegal aliens then fled the state and were on their way to California when they were stopped and arrested by federal authorities in Arizona.”
>> NY DA GOES AFTER FAKE VAX CARDS BUT NOT VIOLENT MIGRANTS <<
CatholicVote previously reported that Democratic New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg made the decision to release the men, citing the “presumption of pre-trial non-incarceration.”
Adams has repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of the country’s ongoing border crisis since last summer.
However, his comments this week represent the first time he has openly called for making changes to his city’s “sanctuary” policies.
Republican elected officials responded to the Democratic mayor’s comments.
“Democrats don’t even want to live under their policies,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-TX, noted.
Nehls’ House colleague, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-NY, agreed.
“Open border and sanctuary city policies aren’t just dangerous; they’re a fraud against taxpayers,” wrote Stefanik, who represents a part of upstate New York a couple hundred miles from New York City.
“NYC residents have been fleeced of millions in no-bid contracts to pay for illegal immigrant services,” she continued. “Joe Biden, [Democratic New York Gov.] Kathy Hochul, and Eric Adams’ Far Left Democrat policies continue to put Americans last.”
Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-CO, wrote: “‘Sanctuary city’ is a really nice way of saying ignorant to crime. Designating yourself as a sanctuary city is putting America last.”
Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody implied that Adams’ recent actions are proof that far-left pro-immigration policies are catching up with the same politicians who once fully supported them.
“When it’s convenient for them and when they are far-removed from the border crisis’s impact, radical leaders like NYC Mayor Adams are for sanctuary cities,” stated Moody. “But, when stuff hits the fan, suddenly they’re for changing the rules of sanctuary cities,” she pointed out.
“Welcome to reality, Mayor,” Moody continued, addressing Adams. “We’ve all been dealing with this crisis since the [Biden] administration took over the border.”
As CatholicVote previously reported:
According to a January 1 FOX News report, “more than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border” [in December]. “It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded.” It is also the first time migrant encounters have exceeded 300,000.
An earlier CatholicVote report indicated that “only 78,414 encounters were recorded” in January 2021 – the month Biden took office. “Just six months later, the total was 213,593 – almost three times higher.”
