The illegal alien situation in New York City is slowly, quietly improving. Mayor Eric Adams' legal situation? Not so much.
On Saturday, Mayor Adams oversaw the closing of the massive white tent city erected on Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The 2,000 bed facility was an eyesore and constant source of complaints in the neighborhood. It is the latest step in the right direction by Adams, who finally saw the light of reason in August of 2024 when he first called for reform in New York's sanctuary city policy.
The evolution of Adams on immigration has famously imperiled his political career. After pushing back on the Biden administration's open border policy, Adams saw his inner circle investigated relentlessly. Raids were conducted on several of their personal homes, including that of Adams himself.
Federal prosecutors who indicted @NYCMayor Eric Adams on corruption charges last year allege they have uncovered “additional criminal conduct” that the mayor and others engaged in. A superseding indictment could include additional counts against the mayor. https://t.co/hFYw8FAir8
— Greater Flushing (@GreaterFlushing) January 13, 2025
As Adams has continued to press forward in closing facilities, so have his opponents found new ways to retaliate. Federal prosecutors--from the same Southern District that president-elect Donald Trump complained was weaponized against him--continue to hound Adams.
In September, the SDNY brought charges of alleged bribery surrounding the construction of a new Turkish consulate in Manhattan. The new, unspecified charges stem from the same case.
As reported in the Daily News:
The feds didn’t elaborate on what the conduct in question is or who the other individuals are...Adams’ defense attorney, Alex Spiro, has accused prosecutors of overplaying their hand, writing in a filing last month that the “incriminating evidence” they planned to base their superseding indictment on “does not exist.”...Spiro has also argued in court papers that the case against Adams is almost entirely based on testimony from Rana Abbasova, Adams’ ex-Turkish community liaison who is cooperating in the federal probe. The Adams lawyer has argued Abbasova is a disgruntled staffer with an ax to grind...“This is amateur hour. They are just looking for a headline instead of doing the right thing,” Spiro wrote in an email to the Daily News. “I assume we are at the point where new Yorkers are not falling for it.”
In his trademark jocular style, Adams joked that “Even Ray Charles can see what’s going on" as he insisted on his innocence.
Adams claims the city has now closed 46 shelters, with 13 more slated to close soon, as reported by CBS. The facilities slated to close house 10,000 beds.
What goes unsaid in the political fracas: Adams has been successful in decreasing the number of migrants in the city, or these shelters would be full. By signaling that New York will cooperate with ICE once Trump takes office, Adams has created net outflows.
The feds, it would seem, are doing all they can to make Adams pay.
