Judge strikes down Adams' plan to let ICE operate on Rikers, citing dismissed corruption case

Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News on Sep 8, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge has struck down an effort by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to let federal immigration authorities operate on Rikers Island, ruling the action was ethically “impermissible” because it came on the heels of President Trump’s Department of Justice securing a highly controversial dismissal of the mayor’s corruption indictment.

The effort dates back to April 8, when Randy Mastro, Adams’ first deputy mayor, issued an executive order that sought to let ICE agents reopen an office on Rikers in order to conduct criminal immigration enforcement at the city lockup.

The order infuriated City Council Democrats, who filed a lawsuit alleging it amounted to an illegal favor Adams’ team did for Trump in exchange for the president’s DOJ having just days earlier quashed his criminal case. Trump appointees at DOJ wrote that Adams’ prosecution needed to be tossed because it was preventing the mayor from helping advance Trump’s “mass deportation” agenda.

In a 7-page ruling released Monday, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Mary Rosado sided with the Council Democtats’ argument, writing the Mastro order is “null and void” because it flew in the face of city law barring public officials from taking actions on matters in which they may have a personal conflict.

“The timeline of public statements and the ongoing criminal prosecution so clearly demonstrate an impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest,” the judge wrote of the order. “The appearance of this conflict and Mayor Adams’ failure to recuse himself fully tainted the entire process.”

Spokespeople for the mayor didn’t immediately return requests for comment.

_____