New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration on Tuesday reversed a decade-long sanctuary policy by allowing ICE to resume operations at Rikers Island jail to target criminal gangs and drug trafficking.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously had a presence on the detention island along with other federal law enforcement agencies, with Rikers frequently transferring illegal immigrants into federal custody for deportation.
However, ICE was evicted from the notorious island in 2014 by the city’s sanctuary city law, effectively prohibiting any cooperation between the prison and federal law enforcement in deporting criminal aliens.
The executive order, issued Tuesday, authorizes ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division to establish an office at Rikers to collaborate on targeting violent criminals, gangs, and drug trafficking, according to ABC News.
“It is critical that federal law enforcement agencies are able to share intelligence with the Department of Correction and NYPD in real-time about criminal gang activity among individuals both inside and outside of DOC custody,” the order states.