City Hall’s plan to reopen a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Rikers Island could take longer than expected.

“The executive order expressly limits the cooperation to federal criminal investigations and federal criminal charges being brought, not civil matters,” First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said on Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • A judge on Monday issued an interim temporary restraining order against an executive order meant to bring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement back onto Rikers Island

  • The Adams administration is pushing to re-open an ICE office on the jail complex. They say it's about getting violent gangs members out of the city 

  • Local lawmakers sued to stop the plan citing concerns about deportations 

On Monday, a state judge issued an interim temporary restraining order against the plan. 

The ruling specifically prohibits City Hall from “taking any steps toward negotiating, signing or implementing any Memoranda of Understanding with the federal government regarding federal law enforcement presence on Department of Corrections property.”

“We’re seeing students disappear, visas revoked, permanent residents. Everyone is really under attack. They cannot be trusted and so we’re deeply concerned about them having unfettered access to more people,” City Councilwoman Alexa Avilés, who also chairs the Immigration Committee, said. 

The order comes a week after the City Council sued the Adams administration over the proposal.

Local lawmakers argue the plan to have federal immigration authorities on Rikers violates sanctuary city laws. 

They are also challenging Randy Mastro’s authority to sign the executive order in the first place, instead of Adams. 

“Highly, highly unusual. The mayor was totally fine. He wasn’t incapacitated, but he knew he could not do it because he’s compromised,” Avilés said. 

Mastro signed the executive order a week after federal corruption charges were dropped against the mayor.

Adams had delegated the task to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, amid concerns Adams was beholden to the president. Adams had announced the plan after meeting with "border czar" Tom Homan several times.

Mastro has insisted that the opening of the immigration office is about violent gangs and not deportations. 

“Civil detainers, civil warrants for someone who continues to serve a sentence at Rikers or continues to be incarcerated at Rikers awaiting trial will not be honored,” Mastro said last week.  

The last time ICE operated at city jails was over a decade ago.

City Hall had already agreed to delay the opening of the immigration office pending a hearing in the case. Tuesday’s ruling ensures that commitment. 

Mastro has said that there would be consequences if civil deportations occur but has not shared what those would be. 

The next hearing in the case is set for Friday morning.