City Council hails court decision blocking Mayor’s order to allow ICE on Rikers

New York City Council leaders and immigrant-rights advocates on Friday celebrated a New York State Supreme Court ruling that invalidated Mayor Eric Adams’ Executive Order 50, which would have allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to reopen an office on Rikers Island.

“I am the chair of the immigration committee at the New York City Council and the representative of District 38 in Brooklyn,” said Council Member Alexa Aviles, chair of the Council’s Immigration Committee, calling the court decision a victory for the city’s immigrant communities and saying the council had litigated to prevent Executive Order 50 from taking effect.

The ruling, issued by Justice Mary Rosado, came after the City Council joined litigation opposing the order. “The court’s decision will protect hundreds from being unnecessarily targeted by this administration,” Aviles said, adding the council had the evidence of prior ICE operations at Rikers that, she said, led to civil‑rights violations.

Speaker Adrienne Adams said the council secured funding this year to expand immigrant legal services and framed the court decision as part of broader efforts to protect New Yorkers’ civil rights. “In the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget, we’re proud to have secured over $80,000,000 for immigration legal services, including almost $25,000,000 for the New York Family Unity Project and $16,500,000 to help unaccompanied minors and families,” Adams said.

Advocates said the presence of ICE at Rikers would have endangered people who use city services and survivors of violence. Rosa Cohen Cruz, director of immigration policy at Bronx Defenders, said the ruling sends “an important message” about due process and preventing a two‑tiered justice system for immigrants. Leslie Allen, director of legal services at the Anti‑Violence Project, said immigrant LGBTQ survivors would have been especially at risk if ICE were allowed on Rikers.

Speakers also used the event to renew calls to close Rikers Island. Melanie Dominguez, organizing director at the Catall Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, cited recent deaths in city Department of Correction custody, saying at least 12 people have died this year and at least 45 people have died since Mayor Adams took office in 2022. “That is precisely why we were infuriated when Adams issued his executive order to allow ICE to reopen an office at Rikers Island,” Dominguez said.

Formerly detained people and community groups welcomed the court action. Darren Mack, co‑director of Freedom Agenda and a Rikers survivor, called the ruling a victory for immigrant New Yorkers and for families who have suffered deportations linked to arrests.

Council Member Crystal Hudson framed the ruling as part of the council’s broader resistance to federal policies she said harm families, while Council Member Gail Brewer cited public‑safety and transparency concerns with allowing ICE or the National Guard to operate on Rikers.

The speakers at the press event included Council leadership, members of the Council’s legal team and representatives of immigrant‑rights and legal services organizations who joined the litigation or supported the council’s position. No formal council vote was announced at the briefing; speakers emphasized continued legal and legislative work and renewed calls for closing Rikers.

Advocates and council members said the fight continues: they noted ongoing legal challenges to sanctuary protections and called for continued investment in legal services and for accountability from the mayor’s office. The City Council and its allies said they will continue to pursue measures that they say protect immigrant New Yorkers’ access to due process and city services.