Former NY ICE official applauds ‘critical’ move to reopen Rikers Island to feds
A former assistant chief at New York’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office heralded Mayor Eric Adams’ vow to reopen Rikers Island to the feds, saying it is a “critical” step in ensuring “the most egregious” illegal migrant criminals, including killers and rapists, are off the streets.
Adams promised to reopen the previously-shuttered ICE office at Rikers after his latest meeting with President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan Thursday, saying he is preparing an executive order to do so.
Former assistant field office director Scott Mechkowski recalled when the immigration agency was allowed into Rikers, giving way to a “seamless” handoff of illegal migrants released from local custody.
In 2014, ICE encountered an average of 3,200 illegal migrant criminals through the Rikers program, said Mechkowski, who previously ran the agency’s fugitive operations program in the Big Apple.
“It was seamless. They would get booked into the jail and we would be able to identify them almost immediately, and once we could confirm that they were a person of interest, we would drop a detainer and the detainer was honored,” he said.
“The transition was very smooth. When they were getting released from Rikers, they notified us right there at the jail… and they just went from one custody to the next,” the 24-year ICE veteran added.
Adams’ move signals a turnabout from his prior immigration stance, which hampered the ability of local authorities to work smoothly with the feds.
“We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island – as was the case for 20 years,” Hizzoner said.
“But now, instead ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs.”
In a December meeting with Homan before President Trump took office, Adams floated the possibility of reopening the Rikers ICE office.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, is now cracking down on sanctuary cities that bar local cops from notifying feds about illegal migrant criminals.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi slammed progressive sanctuary cities this week and has already sued New York and Chicago over their laws preventing ICE from entering local jails and receiving advanced notification of an illegal migrant criminal’s release.
“This is a new DOJ,” Bondi told reporters. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”
The Trump administration also clawed back $80 million in taxpayer funds for New York City to house and care for migrants.
