Speculation has been swirling around New York City Mayor Eric Adams ever since the Justice Department abruptly dropped corruption charges against him. The question on everyone’s mind: Was there a deal? Did Adams trade cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement in exchange for his legal troubles disappearing?
Border Czar Tom Homan has now addressed the matter directly, and he’s not buying the conspiracy theories. Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union, Homan dismissed the idea that Adams’ decision to work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement at Rikers Island had anything to do with his charges being dropped.
“No, I think that’s ridiculous. Me and Mayor Adams met a couple of months ago,” Homan told Bash. “We talked about getting a presence in Rikers Island. We talked about how we can collaborate on public safety threats and finding the missing children that can’t be found after they were released to sponsors.”
Homan made it clear that discussions about ICE access to Rikers Island had been going on for months—long before the Justice Department’s decision to drop the charges. The reason for the recent follow-up meeting? Frustration over a lack of action.
“I was taken aback that we hadn’t got any action on that yet about getting into Rikers Island,” Homan explained. “So we followed up on how we can get some of this stuff in place, and that’s what the meeting Thursday was about.”
Bash, like much of the media, kept pushing the narrative that this was some kind of quid pro quo. But Homan didn’t take the bait.
“I’ve been talking to the mayor for months about getting in Rikers Island, and that’s what we talked about,” he reiterated.
What’s clear from Homan’s remarks is that Adams’ cooperation was about crime—something the mayor, a former police officer, has been increasingly vocal about. Adams had already expressed interest in reopening ICE operations at Rikers back in December, when he acknowledged the need to crack down on violent illegal immigrants. Now, following his latest meeting with Homan, that effort is moving forward.
“We are now working on implementing an executive order that will reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island,” Adams announced after the meeting. “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.”
The timing may look suspicious to some, but the reality is this: Adams has been under pressure for months to address New York’s rising crime and illegal immigration crises. Whether he’s doing this because he truly believes in it or because he’s politically cornered, the fact remains—he’s now working with federal authorities to clean up the city.
As for the Justice Department’s decision to drop the case? That’s a separate issue altogether. The indictment alleged Adams had engaged in a decade-long corruption scheme involving bribes from Turkish nationals, including luxury travel perks in exchange for political favors. While Adams maintains the charges were politically motivated, the DOJ claimed it lacked sufficient evidence for a conviction.
