NEW YORK — A New York judge has ordered city officials to temporarily halt a plan allowing federal immigration agents to operate within the Rikers Island jail complex ahead of a hearing later this week.
In a written order Monday, Judge Mary Rosado barred the city from “taking any steps toward negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government” before an April 25 hearing in a suit challenging the plan.
That hearing will focus on a lawsuit brought last week by the New York City Council against Mayor Eric Adams that seeks to block his recent executive order permitting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to maintain office space at the jail complex.
The suit accuses Adams, a Democrat, of entering into a “corrupt quid pro quo bargain” with the Trump administration in exchange for the Justice Department dropping criminal charges against him.
Adams has repeatedly denied making any deal with the administration over the criminal case. He has said the presence of ICE and other federal agencies within the jail complex will allow them to assist in gang and drug-related investigations but that they would have no role in civil immigration enforcement.
A spokesperson for Adams said the city would not execute any agreement with the Trump administration ahead of the hearing.
Adams previously announced he would deputize his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, to handle all decision-making on the return of ICE to Rikers Island in order to “ensure there was never even the appearance of any conflict.”
Mastro said last week that discussions with the federal government over the plan were ongoing.
ICE agents previously had a presence at the Rikers Island facility, which is on a hard-to-reach island in the East River. But they were effectively banned from operating there in 2014 under New York City’s sanctuary laws limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement.
“The Council stands firm in our efforts to protect the rights and safety of all New Yorkers against attacks by the Trump administration and its agents,” said Julia Agos, a spokesperson for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is running for mayor. “We appreciate Judge Rosado’s decision to prevent any negotiation or execution on an agreement between the administration and federal agencies until this Friday’s hearing to ensure communities are protected.”