ICE Office to Open at Rikers Island for Criminal Investigations

Executive Order for Federal Immigration Agents

• 🏛️ Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro has issued an executive order allowing federal immigration agents to establish an office on Rikers Island.
• 🤝 This move aims to facilitate direct coordination between federal law enforcement and correction investigators on criminal investigations.
• 📜 The order is designed to comply with New York City's sanctuary city laws, permitting cooperation on criminal matters but not civil ones like deportations.

Focus on Violent Criminals and Gangs

• 🎯 A primary target for this collaboration will be international terrorist organizations, such as MS-13.
• 🔍 Investigations will concentrate on serious crimes including drugs, guns, murders, and other violent offenses.
• 🌐 The initiative may involve individuals currently in prison as well as those outside communicating with inmates.

Re-establishing ICE Presence

• 🔙 The executive order effectively re-establishes the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Rikers Island after a decade-long absence.
• ⚖️ Deputy Mayor Mastro emphasized that the focus is strictly on law enforcement and criminal investigations, explicitly excluding civil matters.