New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has said he wants to work with President-elect Donald Trump on immigration reform.
In October, Adams also defended Trump from allegations that he is a “fascist.”
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Adams said, “I am willing to sit down with this administration like I tried to sit down with the previous administration in my 10 trips to Washington to say: we have a problem that is overrunning our cities,” according to a report from Politico.
“I’m hoping this administration will hear what I’m saying and listen to some of the ideas that I have been pushing for … close to two years now,” Adams continued.
The liberal mayor said that he hopes incoming border czar Tom Homan will be more receptive than the Biden administration to solving the problem migration is causing in big cities.
Politico reports, “Adams has long had a wish list he would like to see implemented on a federal level: In addition to funding for cities dealing with an influx of asylum seekers, the mayor has advocated for a more secure border to ensure everyone who enters the country passes a background check. He wants new arrivals to be sent to places experiencing population decline like upstate New York or Kentucky. And he wants those new arrivals to have the legal ability to work.”
“When I talked about public safety in 2021, it was ignored. When I talked about migrants and asylum seekers in 2023, it was ignored,” he said. “[In] 2021 the top of the issues? Public safety. [In] 2023 the top of the issues for voters? Immigration.”
Adams said that he is not a supporter of mass deportation but has been long complaining about the illegal immigrants flooding the city.
During a press briefing in October, Adams condemned those in his party who have compared Trump to Adolf Hitler.
NEW – NYC Mayor Eric Adams Pushes Back on Kamala Harris’ Claims That Trump is a Fascist
“I have had those terms hurled at me by some political leaders in the city using terms like Hitler and fascist. My answer is no. I know what Hitler has done and I know what a fascist regime… pic.twitter.com/hv92Blk0a3
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 26, 2024
“I have had those terms hurled at me by some political leaders in the city, using terms like Hitler and fascist. My answer is no,” Adams said when asked whether he considered Trump a fascist.
“I know what Hitler has done, and I know what a fascist regime looks like. I think, as I’ve called for over and over again, that we could all dial down the temperature of our conversations.”
