Adams to testify on NYC’s ‘sanctuary city’ status before House subcommittee

Mayor Eric Adams will testify Wednesday before an influential Republican-led House subcommittee about New York City’s “sanctuary city” status – the cluster of laws protecting migrant New Yorkers from deportation that he himself has questioned at times. 

Adams is one of four big-city mayors being called by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to come forward and defend their city’s respective sanctuary policies at the hearing in Washington D.C. While there is no sweeping country-wide definition for “sanctuary policies” or “sanctuary cities” – neither are a legal term – the words are generally associated with policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The hearing could be hostile. Last week, the committee released a dramatic video previewing the hearing set to an intense instrumental track, which showed a burning U.S. Constitution and interspersed images of Adams and fellow Democratic mayors Michelle Wu of Boston, Mike Johnston of Denver and Brandon Johnson of Chicago – who will also testify Wednesday – with several news clips about high-profile, albeit isolated, crimes involving undocumented immigrants. In a similar vein to the string of Republican-led hearings targeting university leaders about an alleged rise in antisemitism on their campuses in late 2023 and 2024, House Republicans are expected to try to turn the opportunity to question Adams and the other mayors into a politically explosive event as President Donald Trump pushes his ongoing mass deportation campaign. 

All four mayors represent cities that welcomed – but struggled to accommodate – an influx of migrants from the Southern border over the past few years. In New York City alone, roughly 231,000 migrants have arrived since spring of 2022, costing the city billions of dollars with little help from the federal government. 

There’s a big spotlight on Adams as he prepares to face questioning. Last month, Trump’s Justice Department ordered the temporary dismissal of the federal corruption case against Adams, claiming in part that the case interfered with the mayor’s ability to cooperate with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. It’s unclear how Adams’ friendly-ish relationship with the president, his meeting with border czar Tom Homan, and his plans to allow ICE agents back into Rikers Island will lead House Republicans to treat him during the hearing, but he’ll no doubt have a tricky tightrope to navigate between standing up for immigrant New Yorkers while also facing tough questioning from House Republicans who’ve condemned the city for accommodating migrants.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, said the mayor plans to relay to the committee what he’s conveyed to New Yorkers for months: that New York City remains a city of immigrants – documented and undocumented alike – that law-abiding immigrants are crucial to the city’s success, that there is a need for comprehensive immigration reform, and that while the city should never have been left alone to handle the influx of migrants, the city met the moment. Leaning on his experience as a police officer, he’ll also likely speak to the importance of having policies in place that help law-abiding undocumented New Yorkers feel safe seeking city services and care – but that he also continues to want to work with the federal government to go after violent criminals and gangs. 

According to Mamelak Altus, Adams has been preparing to testify by meeting with members of his legal, communications and intergovernmental teams. 

“I don't have any false sense of belief that there's something I would say or do that everyone is going to agree with or disagree with it,” Adams said of his expectations for Wednesday at a recent press conference. “I just hope that we could have a very civil conversation around a very complex topic that many cities have inherited.”

New York City’s sanctuary policies, which have been in place for several decades, are broadly seen as a vital part of the city’s values and identity. Supporters say they are an essential public safety measure, helping undocumented immigrants feel safe reporting crimes, seeking medical care, attending school and going to court without the fear of being turned over to federal immigration authorities.

About an hour before Adams is scheduled to testify before the committee, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Members Alexa Avilés and Shahana Hanif, and immigrants’ rights advocates are expected to gather outside City Hall to voice support for the city’s sanctuary policies – and to urge Adams to defend immigrant New Yorkers. Adams has previously garnered criticism for saying he wants migrants “suspected” of major crimes to be turned over to federal immigration authorities. In several instances, he’s said that the city’s more recent sanctuary laws go too far and should be walked back.

NYCLU’s immigration policy expert Zach Ahmad described Wednesday's hearing as a “sham,” stressing that Adams must put immigrant New Yorkers and the well being of the city ahead of his “desire for a Get Out of Jail Free card.”

“We can’t know exactly what Mayor Adams is planning to say … but we are very aware of what he has said and done so far with respect to our sanctuary laws,” Ahmad said. “The mayor needs to understand that if he tries to sell out our city’s long-standing protections for immigrants, New Yorkers aren’t going to sit back and let him get away with that.”