Special Poll
President Trump’s border czar has denied any sort of agreement with New York City Mayor Eric Adams that led to the Department of Justice ordering the Southern District of New York to drop its case against the mayor. The New York City mayor’s office has not commented on the situation.
Federal prosecutors had accused Adams of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery, alleging that he received $100,000 in luxury gifts and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and businesspeople in exchange for allowing a consulate to open in New York without proper fire inspections. Adams has denied all allegations. However, last week, the DOJ unexpectedly dropped the charges, leading to the resignation of several federal prosecutors who refused to comply with the decision.
Adams and border czar Tom Homan appeared together on Fox & Friends, where Homan stated that he expected the mayor to uphold their agreement regarding immigration enforcement. He suggested that if Adams failed to follow through in the coming weeks, he would personally confront him about it. The discussion comes amid strong public support for stricter immigration policies. A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 55 percent of voters back Trump’s mass deportation plan, while 88 percent support the removal of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. The poll also indicates that most Democrats and Republicans believe the immigration system is broken.
On CNN’s State of the Union, Homan was asked directly about speculation that a deal had been made between the Trump administration and Adams. While not using the term “quid pro quo,” host Dana Bash suggested that the DOJ’s decision to drop charges against Adams might have pressured him to cooperate on immigration enforcement. Homan dismissed the idea, arguing that he had long criticized Adams’ handling of public safety and immigration but believed the mayor ultimately agreed to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into Rikers Island for the sake of reducing crime in the city. The facility had been off-limits to ICE since New York became a sanctuary city in 2015.
Homan emphasized that Adams wanted to improve public safety in New York and was willing to work with federal immigration officials to remove criminals. He stated that neither he nor Adams wanted the mayor to act as an immigration officer, but rather to help facilitate ICE’s ability to handle public safety threats. He also downplayed comments he made on Fox & Friends, insisting they were taken out of context. According to him, when he joked about holding Adams accountable, the mayor laughed and responded that he would hold ICE accountable as well. He described the conversation as one between “two cops having a good time,” insisting that the situation was being exaggerated.
The controversy has sparked strong reactions. Some critics, including media figures and political analysts, have argued that the DOJ’s decision to drop charges against Adams in exchange for his cooperation on immigration amounts to political corruption. Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of Meidas Touch Media, wrote that Adams’ charges were dismissed not due to lack of evidence, but because he agreed to help Homan. He also suggested the charges could be reinstated if Adams failed to meet his commitments. Democratic strategist Maria Cardona expressed similar skepticism, stating that the sudden reversal on the charges and ICE’s access to Rikers appeared to be a direct deal.
On the other side, Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York defended the Trump administration’s pressure on Adams, saying she had been calling for ICE to have access to Rikers for some time. She argued that allowing law enforcement to detain undocumented criminals directly from jail rather than tracking them down in communities was a safer and more efficient approach.
As the debate continues, questions remain about whether political pressure influenced the DOJ’s decision and how Adams’ cooperation on immigration enforcement will unfold in the coming months.