Tom Homan, the White House border czar, announced that ICE will increase enforcement activity in New York City and that he plans to be in the city soon. He said a prior agreement with Mayor Eric Adams to allow ICE access to Rikers Island was blocked by the City Council and upheld by the state Supreme Court. Homan described sanctuary jurisdictions as a priority for federal enforcement because of perceived public-safety risks. The mayor’s office responded that it will cooperate on criminal issues like illegal guns but will not assist with civil immigration enforcement.
ICE to Ramp Up Enforcement in New York City, Border Czar Tom Homan Says
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, announced that ICE will increase enforcement activity in New York City and that he plans to be in the city soon. He said a prior agreement with Mayor Eric Adams to allow ICE access to Rikers Island was blocked by the City Council and upheld by the state Supreme Court. Homan described sanctuary jurisdictions as a priority for federal enforcement because of perceived public-safety risks. The mayor’s office responded that it will cooperate on criminal issues like illegal guns but will not assist with civil immigration enforcement.
08:05 PM, 11/19/2025Politics
Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will soon intensify operations in New York City and that he expects to be in the city in the near future.
Speaking on Fox News’s "America's Newsroom," Homan said he once reached an agreement with Mayor Eric Adams to allow ICE access to Rikers Island, but the plan was blocked after the City Council sued and the state Supreme Court sided with the council.
"I plan on being in New York City in the near future. We’re going to do operations in New York City... but the city council shut it down," Homan said. "We’re already there now. I mean, teams are there now, but we are increasing enforcement presence in New York City — again, because they’re a sanctuary city, and we know we have an issue there with public safety threats in the street every day."
Homan emphasized that the increased activity is not intended as a partisan action aimed at a particular political party, but is focused on jurisdictions the federal government views as higher risk because of sanctuary policies. "Regardless of Republican or Democratic city, we’re going to enforce the laws across this country and take those public safety threats off the street," he said.
Mayor's office response
A spokesperson for Mayor Adams reiterated the administration’s primary focus on public safety and noted its willingness to work with federal authorities on criminal matters such as stopping the flow of illegal guns. At the same time, the statement made clear that the Adams administration will "always follow the law," and therefore does not collaborate with the federal government on civil immigration enforcement.
The exchange highlights the ongoing tension between federal immigration enforcement priorities and local sanctuary policies. Legal and political disputes over detention access, local-federal cooperation, and public-safety claims are likely to continue as ICE increases activities in cities that have limited partnership on civil immigration matters.