Democrat-led New York City Council refuses to consider changes to sanctuary laws
New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino blasts the 'out of touch' council as Mayor Eric Adams pushes for more ICE cooperation to battle migrant crime.
New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino sounded off on "America's Newsroom" Friday after her Democratic colleagues said they would not consider changes to the city's sanctuary laws despite calls to do so from Mayor Eric Adams. Adams said this week the law should be changed to allow for deportations by ICE for migrant criminals.
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VICKIE PALADINO: We have seen this city council be so out of touch with reality that it is absolutely infuriating. The idea that you could get up to a podium and make a broad statement like that, knowing what's happening on the streets of your city. We represent, as elected officials, this city. You've got a job to do, and that is to back up the mayor at some point. Nobody's supposed to agree on everything all the time, but we are talking about violent criminals that are illegal migrants. And yet they want to refer to them as asylum seekers. These are not asylum seekers. These are people emptying out the Venezuelan jails, mixing with MS-13. My council needs to get it together and figure it out. And enough is enough. There is no more excuses anymore. And they're falling back on an old story, said the mayor.
![New York Mayor Adams and migrants in the city](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/02/1200/675/Migrant-adams.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
New York Mayor Adams and migrants in the city (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The city council is refusing to re-evaluate its sanctuary city laws of not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on deportation matters, despite a growing list of crimes being attributed to migrants arrested in the Big Apple and then let go – with the Laken Riley murder suspect being the latest.
Mayor Adams said earlier this week that illegal migrants who commit crimes should be ejected from the country, but the council’s speaker Adrienne Adams blasted his comments as "harmful" and doubled down on the controversial laws on Wednesday.
"We are not considering changes to laws. These laws have been in effect for decades," Council speaker Adams said at an unrelated press conference at City Hall, according to the New York Post.
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Adams on Monday doubled down while speaking to a group at a town hall meeting in Brooklyn, saying the sanctuary city law needs to be modified so that any migrant who commits a felony can be turned over to ICE and deported.
Adams commended his administration for doing an excellent job during a challenging time, but stated his hands are tied by federal and local law.
Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.