Several Democratic-led cities and states have begun their "Trump-proofing" process ahead of the president-elect's inauguration, with mayors and governors promising they will use their authority to stop his mass-deportation goals in their jurisdictions.
But as their efforts continue, with the city of Los Angeles declaring itself a sanctuary city, for instance, an elephant in the room leaves migrants and advocates alike wondering what their stance ahead of the new Trump administration will be.
New York City is one of the largest Democratic strongholds in the nation. But amid Trump's plans to deport migrants en masse, the city's mayor, Eric Adams has been sending mixed signals as to how he will respond.
On the day after the election, he reaffirmed that New York is a sanctuary city but sidestepped reporters' questions about whether he would actively resist federal deportation efforts. At that same press conference, his immigration affairs commissioner, Manuel Castro, went further, telling reporters in Spanish that city agencies "will not be following the instructions of the federal government in cases of mass deportations."
A week later, Adams seemingly shifted his view, suggesting he could assist the Trump administration, according to New York Magazine. "I believe we can be very helpful in how we address this issue in a very real way," he told reporters.
At the same time, City Hall officials are being cautious about openly discussing their plan out of fear of antagonizing a former president who sought to limit federal funding from sanctuary jurisdictions like New York City during his first term, The New York Times reports.
Another reason may be behind Adams' seemingly soft-stance on mass deportation— his emerging relationship with Trump himself.
Trump has spoken disparagingly about Adams' corruption charges, comparing them to his own federal criminal charges and claiming them to be based on politics rather than actual legal ground. Adams has also dined, formed alliances with and even hired local entertainers and businesspeople who are close to Trump.
Likewise, at an October charity event in Manhattan, Trump stood at a lectern, turning to address Adams: "We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so are you, Eric."
Trump is almost certain to replace Damien Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who is prosecuting Adams, and who was appointed by President Biden in 2021. However, Trump's selection for the office must first be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, a process that could take weeks or months. The new lead prosecutor would serve at the pleasure of the president for a term of four years.
New York's flip-flopping stance stands in sharp contrast with some of its fellow Democratic big cities, which have either started passing laws to "Trump-proof" their territories, or have decisively declared they will be starting the process to do so.
Last week, the Los Angeles Unified School District declared itself a sanctuary for migrants and the LGBTQ+ community, adopting resolutions to reassert schools as safe havens from immigration enforcement and to prevent employees from voluntarily sharing the immigration status of students and their families with federal agents.
Likewise, in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city will "not bend or break" to hard immigration policies. Johnson also asserted he was prepared to fight any effort to stop federal funds from flowing to Chicago because city authorities will not cooperate with mass deportation efforts, and would work to stop the arrival of immigration agents. Johnson also described the deportation threats as "unconscionable and dangerous," calling the president-elect a "tyrant," in a Nov. 12 press conference.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said he would use Denver police to stop federal forces from deporting migrants. Denver police also say state regulations prevent them from enforcing immigration law but not confirmed whether they would actively block Trump's policies, Axios reports.
Tom Homan, who has been appointed by Trump as the incoming border czar, has also said the new administration plans to withhold federal funds from states and municipalities that refuse to cooperate with its mass deportation initiatives. In another interview, he suggested he would have no problem putting Johnston in jail if he decided to move forward with his stance.
"Look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing," Homan said. "He's willing to go to jail, I'm willing to put him in jail."
An estimated 412,000 undocumented immigrants live in New York City's five boroughs, according to a 2022 census data. That includes longtime undocumented immigrants who have been in the city for years, even decades. A number of them have spouses with legal status or children who are citizens. Most of them are an integral part of the city's labor force, working in restaurants, construction, home care and other low-wage service jobs.
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