President Trump’s long-promised ICE raids on the Big Apple drew outrage from prominent progressive city pols — who blasted Mayor Eric Adams’ “lack of leadership” Tuesday.
“The coming days will be a test for the mayor, and he’ll either stand with us or work against us,” said City Councilman Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan).
“With ICE operating in our city, fear is spreading in our communities in Washington Heights and Harlem—and lack of leadership from the mayor will only add to that fear. New Yorkers deserve a leader who will follow local law and protect our immigrant families, not cooperate with those who threaten to tear them apart.”
The crackdown by federal immigration agents starting early Tuesday — with new Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in tow — predictably drew cheers from conservative New York City lawmakers and fury from lefties.
Adams, who has been holed up sick in Gracie Mansion, joined the chorus from afar — reiterating his stance of trying to thread the needle between supporting ICE raids against violent suspected criminals and assuaging innocent immigrant New Yorkers’ concerns about being rounded up in indiscriminate crackdowns.
“As I have repeatedly said, we will not hesitate to partner with federal authorities to bring violent criminals to justice — just as we have done for years,” he said in a statement, alluding to the Bronx arrest of Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 25, an accused Tren de Aragua ringleader linked to a caught-on-camera break-in in Aurora, Colorado.
“Our commitment to protecting our city’s law-abiding residents, both citizens and immigrants, remains unwavering,” Adams added.
But the Democratic mayor’s middle-ground statement struck many progressives as tepid, at best.
Other than Abreu — who previously accused Adams of cozying up to Trump because of his legal issues — state Sen. Jessica Ramos raged that the mayor offered not a word on “immigrant families being separated in our city today.”
“Silence,” Ramos, who has been representing parts of Queens since 2019 and who is running for mayor, wrote on X.
“I guess we know where his priorities are. Eric Adams doesn’t protect us.”
Another mayoral challenger — city Comptroller Brad Lander — called Adams’ seeming silence “distressing,” although he conceded the mayor keeping quiet could have to do with his illness.
“But in the days even before that, Mayor Adams has appeared as someone who is more interested in seeking a pardon for himself than standing up for the people who elected him,” Lander added.
“To watch as the federal government is starting to gin up these mass deportation raids, and our city is not standing up for our people, it’s heartbreaking.”
State Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) vowed in blistering language that New York will fight against Trump’s crackdown.
“We should do everything in our power at the state level to shield people from the draconian and fascistic policies of the new federal administration,” she said.
State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that she was keeping a watchful eye on the raids.
“I am monitoring the situation to ensure our laws are being respected and people’s rights are not being violated,” she wrote. “We have sent guidance to law enforcement, and it must be followed.”
— Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy