First Ever Inclusive Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Excessive Drought Fire Risk, Drone First Responder Program, Hear From The Mayor Show, Commemorating Tragedy Of AA Flight 587, In-Person Media Availability, Illegal Vape Shops: Mayor Adams

First Ever Inclusive Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Excessive Drought Fire Risk, Drone First Responder Program, Hear From The Mayor Show, Commemorating Tragedy Of AA Flight 587, In-Person Media Availability, Illegal Vape Shops: Mayor Adams

 

Editor’s note: Staten Islander has previously covered issues related to the 5G rollout that were affecting airplane landings, and had the potential to cause deadly accidents.  Our article from Mayor Adams’ Office last week also touched on some of the issues raised in this article, along with the op-ed about conserving water.  We’ve also covered efforts by California to capture some of its record breaking rainfall last year to protect against future drought.  We’ve previously covered issues to enforcement related to allegedly illegal vape shops selling unlicensed cannabis products several times.  

MAYOR ADAMS CELEBRATES INCLUSIVE DECISION TO WELCOME LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY TO MARCH IN STATEN ISLAND ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

Mayor Adams Supported First-Ever LGBTQ+ Inclusive St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Staten Island in March 2024 

MAYOR ADAMS BANS GRILLING IN PARKS, REMINDS NEW YORKERS TO TAKE ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS AND CONSERVE WATER AMIDST ELEVATED FIRE RISK AND HISTORIC DROUGHT

October Was New York City’s Driest Month in Recorded History 

City Has Seen 120 Brush Fires in Past 10 Days 

Last Week, Mayor Declared Drought Watch — First of Three Levels of Water Conservation Declarations Possible by City

WATCH: Mayor Adams Announces Additional Fire Prevention Measures

 

If you’ve been outside, you’ve likely smelled the smoke from wildfires in our region, including one that burned in Prospect Park.

Stay indoors if you have respiratory issues and avoid burning outside while the risk of fires is high.

Get the latest at https://t.co/pSYTK4GZgc. pic.twitter.com/NwrVuaHKdP

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 9, 2024

NEW YORK – Following a two-alarm forest fire in Prospect Park last night and continued wildfires in New Jersey today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams took additional measures to mitigate increased fire risk amidst a historic streak of dry weather in New York City and in the counties upstate that host New York City’s water reservoirs. Effective today, grilling will be banned in New York City parks while the city remains in drought conditions, while smoking and other sources of open flame remain illegal throughout the parks system.

“As New York City’s historic streak of dry weather creates new safety risks, today, we are taking additional measures to keep New Yorkers safe,” said Mayor Adams. “Effective immediately, we are prohibiting grilling in our parks, and we need all New Yorkers to take commonsense steps to prevent brush fires. Getting through this drought will take all of us working together, and every drop counts, so let’s keep doing our part to save as much water as we can.”

Mayor Adams also issued additional reminders to New Yorkers of key steps to help prevent fires amidst dry conditions:

• Fireworks remain illegal across New York City.
• Take extra safety precautions when welding or undertaking other hot construction activities, particularly when near dry grass or leaves.
• Smoking remains illegal on construction sites across the five boroughs. Additional information on construction site fire safety is available online.
• Tapping streetlights for electricity (for things like holiday decorations) remains illegal, as it poses a large fire risk.
• As fallen and bundled leaves can be a fire accelerant, New Yorkers should continue to set out yard waste on their recycling day for New York City Department of Sanitation pickup and call 311 to have the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) clear clogged catch basins.
• New Yorkers should remove litter and any excessive brush or leaves from sidewalks abutting their residences and businesses.
• New Yorkers sensitive to changes in air quality should continue to take appropriate precautions and check AirNow’s website for information on city air quality.
• All New Yorkers should subscribe to Notify NYC for up-to-date information.

“As drought conditions persist across our region, we call on all New Yorkers to stay vigilant and take essential precautions to safeguard our communities,” said Chief of Staff and New York City Extreme Weather Coordinator Camille Joseph Varlack. “Our administration is working tirelessly to monitor the evolving situation, issue updated guidance, and implement measures to protect New Yorkers during this prolonged dry period.”

“This fall, New York City is officially a dry town. Last night’s fire in Brooklyn’s backyard, Prospect Park, is a stark reminder of the dangers of this drought,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “We are urging New Yorkers to do their part: do not litter, do not smoke or grill in parks, call 311 if you see open fire hydrants or illegally tapped streetlights, and put dry leaves in your curbside composting pick up. Continue to conserve water as we are still in a drought watch. All of us together can help prevent dangerous fires and save water.”

“We’re asking all New Yorkers to be especially careful with any activities that might lead to a fire,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker. “A small mistake can cause serious damage. Please be cautious, be vigilant, and help protect our parks and communities.”

“New York City has seen historic numbers of brush fires due to the unusually dry season we are having,” said Fire Department of the City of New York Commissioner Robert Tucker. “We urge all residents to avoid outdoor burning, be mindful of smoking and properly dispose of cigarette butts and matches, and to stay on designated trails in parks. Additional precautions should be taken when conducting activities such as welding near dry grass and weeds. We all need to do our part to conserve water. And, as always, if you see a fire or smoke, report it immediately by calling 911.”

“Our city is currently experiencing a combination of environmental concerns that require everyone’s attention and cooperation,” said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “Wildfire smoke from New Jersey is impacting our air quality. Dry conditions and high winds have elevated the risk of fire within the city, and a drought watch is in effect because of lower-than-normal water reservoir levels. This administration is responding actively and prepared to deploy any resources needed. Report any signs of smoke or fire immediately by dialing 911; conserve water and follow the city’s guidelines; check in on your neighbors, particularly those who may be vulnerable; and, of course, subscribe to Notify NYC for emergency alerts. We all have a part to play in keeping our city safe.”

“This fall’s historic drought and unseasonably warm temperatures are showing us risks of climate change that New Yorkers are not used to seeing, but that we’re well-prepared and well-equipped to confront,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “Whether it’s helping agencies and individuals conserve water, improving our leak detection efforts, or helping to fight upstate wildfires that pose a threat to our water supply, DEP is laser-focused on managing this drought on multiple fronts. All New Yorkers can help; the added pressure on our water supply introduced by wildfires makes it even more critical that every New Yorker takes concrete steps to reduce their water consumption and help stop preventable fires.”

“Protecting New Yorkers — along with our vital natural areas and greenspaces — is of utmost importance, which is why the city is taking steps to reduce the chance of brush fires during this period of severe dry conditions,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “During this drought watch, barbecuing in public parks will be prohibited, and we remind everyone that smoking or open flames are never permitted in our parks and gardens. We encourage all New Yorkers to do their part to prevent fires.”

“Construction safety is paramount on all of our construction jobs, and we remain especially vigilant in maintaining fire safety in light of the city’s drought watch,” said New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley. “Our city contractors must use best practices when conducting appropriate ‘hot work,’ and we will continue to closely monitor all related activities.”

“Construction contractors must always implement proper safeguards and housekeeping procedures at all times to help prevent fires from breaking out on their work sites,” said New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo. “Due to the city’s drought watch, and the unseasonably dry weather which has led to multiple brush fires, we are advising construction site managers to be especially vigilant during welding operations and other types of hot work that requires open flames.”

DEP Police and staff from DEP’s Bureau of Water Supply have joined with local and state first responders in fighting wildfires in and near the upstate watershed in recent weeks, pursuant to their responsibility to protect New York City’s sources of water. That includes fighting a 400-acre wildfire burning right now in the New York City watershed in Ulster County, using DEP Police helicopters for rapid and effective response in forested areas, and assisting firefighting efforts in adjacent areas. While these efforts are critical in protecting New York City’s drinking water reservoirs and surrounding lands, they also put further strain on New York City’s water supply, increasing the importance of conservation efforts and efforts to prevent forest fires.

Mayor Adams’ issuance of a drought watch is the first of three levels of water conservation declarations by the city. As conditions continue to evolve, the city may need to declare a drought warning or, subsequently, a drought emergency, which involve escalating requirements to reduce water usage at city agencies and on New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams, today, also reminded all New Yorkers to do their part to conserve water. Some simple tips include:  

• Report open fire hydrants and street leaks to 311. An open hydrant can release more than 1,000 gallons per minute, which wastes 1.4 million gallons of drinking water in a 24-hour cycle. 
• Don’t flush the toilet unnecessarily. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), toilets are by far the main source of water use in a home, accounting for nearly 30 percent of an average home’s indoor water consumption. Each flush can use 1.6 gallons, with older models using as much as 6 gallons.  
• Take shorter showers, saving five to seven gallons a minute. When taking a bath, fill the tub only halfway and save 10 to 15 gallons.
• Don’t run the tap while shaving, washing hands, or brushing teeth. Faucets use two to three gallons per minute.
• Fix leaks. A leaky faucet that drips at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year, according to the EPA. 
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. Use short cycles if available. Turn off the water while washing dishes. 
• Install water-saving fixtures, including low-flow toilets and showerheads, as well as faucet aerators. 
• Sweep driveways and sidewalks clean rather than washing them down with a hose. 
• For even more tips, visit DEP’s Water Savings Tips website. 

 

 

TRANSCRIPT FROM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2024: MAYOR ADAMS SURVEYS FIRE WITH FDNY, NYPD, NYCEM, AND NYC PARKS, BRIEF MEDIA

Mayor Eric Adams: First of all, I really want to thank the men and women of the FDNY, NYPD, EMS, and everyone who responded, and the passerby who notified the Department of the fire. I never thought we’d be praying for rain, but we really need rain, with all of these leaves and the dry ground and trees, these brush fires, I think this is the third one today. 

I’m joined here by the team, Sue Donoghue, the commissioner of Parks, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, the Fire Commissioner Tucker is here as well, OEM Commissioner Zach Iscol, has joined us as well. The full complement of the team is out here to coordinate, to make sure that, number one, this fire is under control, but the winds and the burning leaves makes it extremely challenging and difficult, but the over 100-plus men and women of the FDNY who are here to make sure this is under control. 

So I want to turn it over to the Fire Commissioner, so he can give you an update and give you all the basic information, but we were extremely lucky by the passerby who saw something, but also did something. They notified the FDNY, and it was a quick response. Commissioner? 

Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor, and thank you to the team for supporting the FDNY tonight at a second alarm, plus fire, here in Prospect Park. It will allow the chief to explain exactly what the Fire Department operation was, but at about 6:40 p.m. tonight, a passerby was walking through and notified 911 about a smoke condition. We received numerous calls thereafter, and as soon as our units got into the park, we began to trek up a hill here and extinguish what was a large fire. Chief Duggan?

Chief Joseph Duggan, Brooklyn Borough Commander, Fire Department: Good evening, everybody. My name is Joe Duggan, the Brooklyn Borough Commander, and tonight the citywide tour, duty chief. Tonight, we responded to approximately 6:46 to a brush fire in Prospect Park, approximately two acres in an area involved, the equivalent of about two football fields, an extremely inaccessible area to get our equipment and our folks into position, hilly, dense brush. The conditions today are perfect for brush fires with extremely dry vegetation, as well as heavy, gusty winds. We used approximately 120 firefighters to extinguish the blaze, and we will be here overnight with four engine companies to ensure that it doesn’t re-ignite.

Commissioner Sue Donoghue, Department of Parks and Recreation: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, commissioner. I also want to thank the FDNY for their incredibly rapid response, and as the mayor said, the individual who called this in, Prospect Park is an incredible community resource, and our urban forest here especially is so, so critical. 

It is the oldest standing forest in Brooklyn, an incredible asset to the community, to the lungs of the city, so the care and rapid response was so critical here, and we are so pleased and appreciate that FDNY is going to be here through the night to make sure this fire is contained and make sure that our forest is safe. 

So thank you, FDNY. Thank you to the individual who called this in, and we appreciate everyone’s focus on just knowing that we’re dealing with difficult drought conditions. Please be aware. If you see something, say something. It’s so important. Thank you.

Commissioner Zach Iscol, New York City Emergency Management: Hey, good evening, everybody. So first off, incredible work today by the fire department, and you know, the mayor always asks us, you know, what are you doing to work together as one city, and you’re really seeing that out here today with the NYPD, FDNY, parks, members of the mayor’s office, and other agencies who are out here today. 

I think this is just a really good reminder, an important reminder for all New Yorkers that we are under a drought watch right now, likely proceeding into a drought warning in the next couple of weeks. Being in a drought watch, that really means that we’re in the preparatory phase, so one of the things that we’re doing right now as a city is we’re working together under the leadership of the mayor, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, deputy mayor for Operations, preparing the city for ways that we can conserve water. The city consumes about a billion gallons of water every single day. 

We’re doing a lot of things in the city to start reducing the amount of water that we use. We’re asking New Yorkers to do the same. The other parts of the drought watch that we need to be concerned about is fire hazards. We’ve seen that in the city today. We’ve had about three to four brush fires. Woke up this morning, overnight, we had wildfires in New Jersey, creating some potential air quality issues that we’ve been monitoring throughout the day. 

So we’re encouraging New Yorkers to, you know, don’t throw cigarette butts on the ground, making sure that as the passerby did today, you’re reporting any fires you see, you shouldn’t be grilling in the parks, being aware of those things, conserving water, monitoring your air quality. 

This is the new normal of extreme weather. It’s not something that we’re expecting, but it’s something that we all need to be prepared for. So look forward to and appreciate all New Yorkers doing their part. Thank you. 

Question: Thanks. I know a two-part question, actually. I’m wondering from the commissioner or chief if you know any indication of how this might have started? And then the second part is, how close were you to structures, any other, any kind of structures that might have been in danger as this thing got bigger and bigger?

Commissioner Tucker: So first of all, our fire marshals were on the scene very quickly, and they’re on the scene now, and they’ll be here overnight. Daylight will help us figure out the cause and origin of this fire, and we will certainly let you know that as soon as they know that. As for structures, this is an extremely dense part of Prospect Park. There are no structures up on this hill. It’s about 50 meters high, and there was never a threat to any civilian structures. 

Question: Is the fire at a state risk today? 

Commissioner Tucker: The fire is under control. And there are some hotter spots. As the wind picks up, there might be a spark or something. But we’re leaving fire companies here for the purposes of mitigating any small fires that might happen. It’s very wet up there now. We’ve got a lot of water up there now. So we don’t think that there’s any threat to future fires tonight up there. 

Question: Yeah, so with climate change and, you know, things like this becoming the new norm, do you think that as a city we are prepared for more incidents like this as the fire weather warning continues until tomorrow? 

Commissioner Tucker: Yeah. The city is very prepared, as the mayor has demanded of us. We are all working very closely together. All of the city agencies, even in this dry period, there’s absolutely no reason to think that we aren’t anything other than extremely prepared.

 

 

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS HOSTS “HEAR FROM THE MAYOR” RADIO SHOW 

 

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS DELIVERS REMARKS TO COMMEMORATE TRAGEDY OF AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 587

Teresita Corporal: It is my honor to introduce to you at this moment the mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, and Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much. And as I look out into the audience to see the photos and see the tears, and see the men and women of the various law enforcement agencies and generals, but particularly the Department of Correction, and I thank our commissioner that’s here, and the first deputy mayor and Commissioner Rodriguez as well. The pain does not dissipate. 

Over 20 something years is still as fresh and as new to the family members who feel the loss. And it is so important that we read over the names, because it allows us to hold on to those memories. They are more than [an assembly] of letters and characters, but they are who we held on to and who we knew. Flight 587 will always be remembered. 

Weeks after [the] September 11th attack, we were still mourning the death and loss of so many people. And to find out right here in this community of Belle Harbor, a simple trip en route, to the Dominican Republic, had to experience such a devastating loss to the Dominican community here in the city, but also to every New Yorker. 

And we’re here today as a constant reminder of those that we lost, not only the crew members, but the family members. And for those who are holding the photos and feeling the tears and feeling the pain of this constant reminder, we want to say that we are with you, we mourn with you, we remember with you, and we stand with you. May God bless those we lost, and may God bless the family members and friends that are here today. Thank you very much.

Corporal: It is my pleasure to introduce to you the New York City commissioner, Department of Transportation, Ydanis Rodriguez.

Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez: Lo que yo voy a hacer es que voy a traducir lo que dijo el alcalde, ¿verdad? 

Translation: What I’m going to do is I’m going to translate what the mayor said, right?

I’m going to translate what the mayor said instead of adding any new words. The mayor speaks for the whole city. 

El alcalde habló por toda la ciudad. Él y toda la ciudad reconocemos, [la deputy mayor] vice alcaldesa Almanzar, lo que es la pena que sentimos todos. Y yo le agrego que aun lo que venimos a expresar es la solidaridad, nunca vamos a sentir el dolor, las heridas que todavía están abiertas de ustedes como sus familiares. Pero el alcalde ha dicho de que es un momento de, aunque han pasado 20 años, todavía sentimos las penas. Y que es muy importante decir cada nombre porque, detrás de cada nombre, lo importante es recordar los bellos momentos, la bella historia, lo que pasamos con ellos.

Translation: The mayor spoke for the entire city. He and the entire city recognize, and deputy mayor Almanzar, the pain that we all feel. And I add that what we came to express is solidarity, we will never feel the pain, the wounds that are still open for you and your family. But the mayor has said that it is a moment of, although 20 years have passed, we still feel the pain. And that it is very important to say each name because, behind each name, the important thing is to remember the beautiful moments, the beautiful story, what we went through with them.

Y estamos seguros de que lo que quieren nuestros familiares es que nosotros cambiemos esas lágrimas, que siempre van a salir, por una sonrisa recordando los bellos momentos que vivimos con ellos. Como ciudad estamos aquí con los familiares para dejarles saber de que este es un momento que siempre la ciudad los va sentir pero que siempre pueden estar seguros que, como alcalde y como ciudad, estamos con todas las familias. Gracias.

Translation: And we are sure that what our relatives want is for us to replace those tears, which will always come, with a smile remembering the beautiful moments we lived with them. As a city, we are here with the relatives to let them know that this is a moment that the city will always feel, but that they can always be sure that, as mayor and as a city, we are with all the families. Thank you.

Corporal: We now invite the president of the committee in memory of Flight 587 with the closing remarks, Belkis Lora.

Belkis Lora, President, Committee in Memory of Flight 587: Good morning to the families, friends, elected officials, and members of the media. 

Buenos días a los familiares, amigos, funcionarios, electos y miembros de los medios de comunicación.

Translation: Good morning to family, friends, elected officials and members of the media.

On behalf of the family, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for joining us today. 

En nombre de las familias, les tiendo mi más sincero agradecimiento por acompañarnos hoy.

Translation: On behalf of the families, I extend my sincere thanks to you for joining us today. 

We gather once again to honor and remember our loved, our beloved families and friends who left us too soon. Over the past 23 years, many aspects of our life have changed. The children who lost their parents on the flight have since become adults. Sadly, we have also lost a loved one who has stood by us for many years. 

Yet, one thing remains constant. Our commitment to remembering this day and honoring the memories. Even in our sadness and pain, this day, in honoring their memory, we take this time to honor the memory of our loved ones on this day. 

Nos reunimos una vez más para honrar y recordar a nuestras queridas familias y amigos que nos dejaron demasiado pronto. En los últimos 23 años, muchos aspectos de nuestras vidas han cambiado. 

Translation: We gather once again to honor and remember our beloved families and friends who left us too soon. Over the past 23 years, many aspects of our lives have changed. 

Los niños que perdieron a sus padres en el vuelo 587 ahora son adultos. Lamentablemente, también perdimos a seres queridos que nos acompañaron por muchos años. Sin embargo, una cosa permanece constante, nuestro compromiso de recordar esta fecha y honrar su memoria. 

Translation: The children who lost their parents on Flight 587 are now adults. Sadly, we also lost loved ones who were with us for many years. However, one thing remains constant: our commitment to remember this date and honor their memory.

Nuestro dolor y tristeza no han sido motivo para no recordar este día. 

Translation: Our pain and sadness has not been a reason to not remember this day. 

Today we remember the love and the beautiful memories they left behind, which fill our lives with confidence and awareness, guiding us through each day without them. We also pay tribute to Freddy Rodriguez, the talented artist who designed this beautiful memorial to ensure our loved ones’ memories will live forever. 

Translation: Hoy recordamos el amor y los hermosos recuerdos que dejaron atrás, que llenan nuestras vidas, de consuelo y calidez, guiándonos cada día sin ellos. También rendimos homenaje a Freddy Rodríguez, el talentoso artista que diseñó este monumento pacifico para garantizar que los recuerdos de nuestros seres queridos permanezcan por siempre. 

Before concluding, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the family of Flight 587 for their support through all these years. And to the New York Correctional Department that are here with us today. Commissioner of New York City Department of Transportation, Ydanis Rodriguez, for his ongoing support through the years. 

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, [Cristian Santana] and [Nato Herinoso Martinez,] who are here with us. [Peter Boama,] President of the 100th Beach Rockaway. And last but not least, to Mayor Eric Adams and Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar for taking the time to accompany us on this supreme day, as well as all his team to support and everyone who made this commemoration possible. 

Please join me in paying tribute to our loved ones with a flower. Please allow the [elected officials] to walk to the monument to pay tribute to our loved ones. Thank you. 

Por favor, únanse a mí para rendir homenaje a nuestros seres queridos con una flor.  Por favor, permitan que los oficiales electos rindan tributo a nuestros seres queridos. Gracias y que Dios los bendiga. 

Translation: Please join me in honoring our loved ones with a flower. Please allow elected officials to honor our loved. Thank you and God bless. 

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS HOLDS IN-PERSON MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Mayor Eric Adams: How’s it going? Good to see you all. Well, sort of. So I just want to go over a couple of things before we open the floor up to some off-topic questions as well. 

[Crosstalk.]

These fires, brush fires, never thought we’d be in the city talking about brush fires. But it just really goes to show you how this issue around droughts and the lack of rain and the environmental crisis that we’re facing now is real. 

But FDNY, they have been responding to these fires. And we’re really calling on New Yorkers to do their part. If you saw the photos from Prospect Park the other day, it was extremely frightening to see how these fires can spread rather rapidly. But we’re calling on New Yorkers really not to do any barbecuing outside and do as much as possible to extinguish any fires. And we don’t really want you doing anything that’s going to cause these brush fires from taking place further. 

Real low rainfall, it just increased the risk of brush fires. And we’ve seen brush fires, which are smelling a lot, is what’s taking place in New Jersey. There are several brush fires. And that smoke is lingering in our area. So those who are dealing with respiratory issues, we’re saying, please stay indoors. Use a filter. Use air conditioning. Do everything that’s possible. Just take some common sense safety measures. And we have to really put measures in place to not overuse water. Brush your teeth. Don’t let the faucet run. Don’t take long showers. Even when you’re watering your yard, don’t use a great deal of water. We need rain. And we can’t get any clearer than that. Not only downstate, but up where our reservoirs are located. 

Keeping New Yorkers safe. Again, crime is down for 10 straight months. Hats off to Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon and our entire team over there. Chief Maddrey, Chief Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry, Chief John Chell, and the men and women of the New York City Police Department, First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella. And just keep driving down crime, moving in the right direction. And every time I hold town hall meetings, I’m on the subway, in the streets, people talk about public safety. Those are the issues that they talk about over and over again. They want to be safe. It’s a prerequisite to our prosperity. 

And when you look at the 19,000 guns this administration, that we have removed off our streets, nothing personifies that more than yesterday, up in uptown Manhattan, where a seven-year-old young girl was shot, getting caught in the crossfires of what potentially was a gang-involved shootings. That is why we’re targeting these guns. And I started with that at the beginning of this administration. And keeping our subway system safe also. We had a 14 years lowering [crime in] our subway system. If you were to remove the pandemic years, we’ll continue to drive down crime that we’re seeing and moving in the right direction. 

Lastly, the Harbor School expansion on Governor’s Islands. We’re really excited about that. Last week, our administration broke ground on the expansion of the New York’s Harbor School on Governor’s Island. Really excited about it. Hats off to the School Construction Authority, the Trust for Governor’s Island, public schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, and her team, and Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, and her team, for the work that they put in place to get this done. 

This is an expansion that will allow the school to better prepare young New Yorkers for good paying green jobs by doubling the school campus from two to four buildings. When we think about the environment, we also want our young people to be prepared for these jobs. And Harbor School graduates will work on the wind turbines that will power 500,000 homes in our city, [inventing] green technologies that we could imagine what the future will hold. And we’re looking forward to that. So with that, why don’t we open the floor to some on top– off topic questions.

Question: Hi, Mayor, how are you doing? 

Mayor Adams: Good, how are you? 

Question: I’m well, I’m well. I want two questions related to the incoming Trump administration and immigration. Are you concerned about any of the appointees that the President-elect have made, specifically Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, who’ve openly expressed that they want to do more immigration enforcement in New York City? And as you communicate with President-elect Trump, and have communicated with him, will you express concern about mass deportations in the city?

Mayor Adams: My concern is one concern. We keep tinkering around the edges. We keep having this philosophical conversation about it. The voters communicated loudly and clearly. We have a broken immigration system. It needs to be fixed. That’s the only conversation I want. It’s broken, it needs to be fixed. And New York City was devastated by that broken system. 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers have made their way here. No financial assistance from the administration. I think it was about $200-something million, with billions of dollars we had to pay for. 

I don’t want to see that happen again. I don’t want what’s taking place in Chicago, in Denver, Los Angeles, Houston. I don’t want to see it take place again. Let’s fix our immigration system. Anything other than that, I’m not interested in that conversation. We have a broken system. I talked about this in 2022, just as I talked about violence in 2021, and voters made this the top of their list. The top of their list. When I was talking about it, everyone was being dismissive of me, and voters said, this is a problem. And if we don’t have a conversation about fixing the system, everything else is just being philosophical and theoretical, and I’m just not going to engage in that. Let’s fix the system.

Question: To be clear, sir, are you saying, leave people here alone, focus on the system, or are you not even engaging on what might happen in the city and just focus on the system fix? I understand you’re saying…

Mayor Adams: Part of it is, we need to either pick up the cost, cities should not be dealing with a national problem. We need to pick up the cost. And there are those here, I’ve said this more than once, there are those here who are repeated offenders, we need to address that. 

You don’t come to our city and our country and commit violence acts on innocent people. But there should be a pathway to employment. I’ve said that. People should be allowed to work. Think about how ridiculous this is, paroling people into the country, then telling them, you cannot work from anywhere from six months to two years. I don’t know why, why does this seem illogical to folks? You know, this is what we were facing, and I’ve said this over and over again, it is a feeder for problems. 

And so, those who are here, figure out what we’re going to do about employment, allowing people to have a pathway to pursue the American dream, secure our borders, have a decompression strategy, allow employment, deal with those who are repeated criminal offenders in our country. This is not new. It didn’t matter to me who was the president, I’ve been saying this over and over again, and voters said the same thing.

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. How are you? I’m good, thank you. On Fox and Friends yesterday, Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, said the bottom line is, and I’m quoting, the bottom line is sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals, end quote. Is New York a sanctuary for criminals?

Mayor Adams: Okay.

Question: My question is, is New York a sanctuary for criminals?

Mayor Adams: This is the greatest city on the globe. The greatest city on the globe, period. And when we go back and forth, those who have opinions on any place in this country, that’s fine, but that’s not where I am. Let’s fix our problem, immigration problem.

Question: In fairness, sir, I think you’ve been less than precise in explaining your position on ICE and deportations. You know, as he said a moment ago, the incoming border czar is saying that they’re gonna come in and they’re going to deport people whether New York City cooperates or not. But what’s your position, sir? Should the city cooperate?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, N.J., and you’re saying I’m less than precise, and I got you, because what I’m finding, there’s two things I find, N.J., really more in print than in TV. When I finish my off topics and I read your stories, I said, well, we’re in the same off topic. So it appears as though it’s no matter what I say, people are putting the spin that they want us to put on it. And so I’m not engaging in that anymore. 

Fix immigration so that no city will have to go through what I went through. All this other conversation is not fixing the problem. The voters are stating we need to secure our borders, we need to make sure cities are not experiencing what New York City experienced. I’m willing to sit down with this administration like I tried to sit down with the previous administrations in my 10 trips to Washington and say, we have a problem that’s overrunning cities. I’m hoping this administration would hear what I’m saying and listen to some of the ideas that I have been pushing for over a year now, close to two years now. 

Anything other than that, you know, many of you already have your stories written already. Who am I kidding? You already have, they wrote already and you’re going to spin it the way you want. Fix immigration, spin that. 

Question: You are the mayor. Yes. And the city will have decisions to make. Do you think that people need to know where you stand on this?

Mayor Adams: Yes, very clear. I’m not a supporter of mass deportation. I am a supporter of making sure our borders are secure. Whomever is paroled into this country has a pathway to employment so they can provide for themselves. The national government fixed our immigration so we don’t have thousands of people sitting inside in a HERRC, not being able to employ. This is inhumane. This is inhumane. And so all the conversations that we’re hearing right now, I say let’s tone down those conversations and come up with real solutions to fix our immigration problem. This is what voters stated. Voters stated exactly what I have been saying. We have to fix our problem and it starts at our border.

Question: In following that logic, you have seen that voters are now saying that deportations need to take place. Now that we know that deportations, I mean, part of what President-elect Donald Trump ran on is the idea of mass deportations. 

So we now know your position that you’re not against deportations. The question then is, they’re talking about targeting criminals, people who’ve been arrested in the city. There’s a position in the law in the city where local law enforcement cannot cooperate with ICE. Will you try to do anything to change that? 

Is there something you can do to help them and assist ICE that they’re not out doing mass raids, let’s say, and helping them and trying to target some of the criminals that they say they’re gonna target? If that’s the case, what can the city do? 

I mean, Homan is talking about, you know, he was on Fox and Friends, saying, we wanna go to Rikers Island and pull people out of Rikers Island. The city won’t let us do that. So what, how are you going to, if, are you planning on assisting them in any way? Is there anything that you’re going to do?

Mayor Adams: First off, at the beginning of the conversation, you said that I’m in support of mass deportations?

Question: No, you support deportations or you don’t support deportations?

Mayor Adams: No, when I was responding to N.J., I said I do not support mass deportation. I wanna be clear on that so it won’t be misinterpreted. 

As these situations come up, we’re going to address them. I’m going to coordinate with the administration to make sure that we continue the spirit of what our laws are here. This is a sanctuary city. Those laws are in place. I want people to continue to go to school. I want people to continue to use our hospital systems. I want people to continue to know that if they’re a victim of a crime, they should report those criminal actions against them. 

I don’t wanna go to the days where people are going to hide in the shadows. We’re gonna do what we’ve done. We’ve all, what we have always done. Is it lost on you that 220,000 people came to this city and we took care of them? 

Question: [Inaudible.]

Mayor Adams: No, I’m being theoretical. I wasn’t specifically addressing to you, so I apologize if it came across that way. Is it lost that we have done this? This is not new to us. This is what the city is. Different administrations come in with different policies, but we have remained consistent of treating people with the dignity that they deserve in the city. That’s not going to change. We’re gonna continue to do that.

Question: As you know, immigrant companies are more worried than ever. And the question is like, is the city gonna continue to help them, the asylum seekers, to make the application?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we want people on a pathway to employment. The thousands of people we walk through of the extremely bureaucratic process of being employed, of getting a job, of not having to live in the shadows of this country. National immigration leaders, I said this over and over again, they have come to the city and they said, New York is doing what no other municipality is doing. They commended us. 

My voice hasn’t been clear. We would have had a unified voice of employment, controlling our borders, decompression strategy, making sure those who are repeated offenders don’t stay in our city. This is what I’ve been talking about. And folks just caught up to it. But if you go back and look at my earliest comments around this, it’s the same thing I’m saying now, and voters have stated the same thing. Our city should be a, our country should be a country of opportunities. And what we have in place, a failed immigration system is turning those opportunities into crises. And that’s unfortunate.

Question: Mayor, just to turn from the national to sort of the ultra-local and maybe even a little mundane. You have always stressed to your workforce to stay focused, no distractions, and grind. But your administration has requested and received a lot of conflict of interest waivers. And the question to you is, if so many municipal employees have private sector side jobs, are they really focused?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think it’s, first of all, I say yes. Look at the numbers. Do a real unbiased analysis of two years and 11 months. And then you tell me, have we failed? We brought down crime. Our bond ratings have increased under this administration. Our housing numbers are extremely impressive under other administration. Our subway system is now one of the safest it has been. 

When you look at small businesses, more small businesses are open, operating in the history of the city. Our tourism is back. We’ve managed COVID. We’ve managed the crises around the migrants and asylum seekers. High-speed broadband is in every [neighborhood] . Residents are [able to] afford [it]. I can go on and on and on. And so here’s the reality. I have to attract talented people. And nothing has been more of a game changer than COVID. 

When I speak to my business leaders and I speak to those who have corporations, you’re in a constant need to attract and retain good talent. And you better have a good package to do so. And so if individuals need a waiver that I have to approve, and then it is approved by the oversight agencies to make sure it’s done correctly, it’s done in the way it’s supposed to be, then I gotta do that to attract the talent that I need to run the city, maintain this city, COIB looks over after I say, yay, and say, okay, it’s fine to do. So it’s following the process. 

I don’t know if you realize the challenge that employers are making in having the right package to attract and retain talent. It’s a real challenge. And if you want the city to operate, you better have a package that is just as attractive as what they can find in private industry.

Question: According to most recent data, we’ve seen that the NYPD hasn’t been referring violent criminals to ICE. Is this something that’s gonna change?

Mayor Adams: I’m sorry, latest data, say that again?

Question: The latest data shows that the NYPD hasn’t been referring violent criminals to ICE. Is this something that’s gonna change under the new administration?

Mayor Adams: We, what’s your name? Yes, you see–

Question: I’m Bloomberg News. 

Mayor Adams: Okay, I haven’t seen you here before. Okay. We can’t. The city rules are clear. No city resources can be used to cooperate or collaborate with ICE. That’s against, it was changed under the previous administration. And we have to abide by those rules. I think that should be modified. And I think it should be changed. But currently, that is the law of the land in New York City.

Question: Mr. Mayor, how you doing? 

Mayor Adams: Good, how are you? 

Question: Not too bad. I had two quick questions for you. Since we were here last week, I was wondering if you’ve had any further discussions with the incoming Trump administration about immigration policy or anything else. And then my second question is, are there any changes in any city policy around asylum seekers or immigration that are being discussed or implemented that you could tell us? Or is everything like completely status quo?

Mayor Adams: Let’s just tell me more about that. Explain that more.

Question: I’m just wondering, now that we know Trump will be going back to the White House, are there any changes in any sort of city policy around immigration or asylum seekers that are being discussed or implemented? Or is everything basically staying exactly the same as before the election?

Mayor Adams: No, what we call for the, and we should do no matter who wins the election, that needed to be, how do we approach Washington, DC to deal with the migrants and asylum seekers? We did this, this is an ongoing conversation with us. 

And I told all our agencies to get together and have real clarity on what we can do, what we can’t do, to sit in a room. We have a meeting, again, that we’re sitting down, bringing everyone in a room again this week to do the same, but it’s part of our scenario planning. 

It’s a constant scenario planning of how we address whatever changes are coming out of Washington, D.C. Washington can’t keep kicking the can, not down the road, but to cities. Our immigration system is a failure. And in fact, it’s an embarrassment. And we have to do a better job. I can’t get any clearer. And our agencies on every level, our Department of Education, we have to educate the children. Our housing apparatus, we have to find housing. So we’re in a constant state of doing scenario planning on what is coming out of D.C., and how do we respond as a city agency to do so.

Question: Just my other question. Have you talked with the incoming Trump administration since we asked you last week?

Mayor Adams: Well, we just found out who the new border czar [is]. And so we’ll be reaching out to the administration. The incoming president is staffing up. He’s doing his transition. A few names were just mentioned. I was happy to see some New Yorkers were mentioned. And as they come in place, Tiffany Raspberry, who’s our Intergovernmental Affairs person, she’s going to be reaching out and communicating and sitting down and hearing what their plans are. 

I don’t want to define their plans based on interviews and based on stories. We want to get in the room, have one-on-one conversations, and give them our view on what we believe, of what we’ve gone through, how our insight can assist them in some of the operation planning that they’re going through. No one has gone through what this administration has gone through. And I believe we can be very helpful in how we address this issue in a very real way.

Question: Hi, Mayor Adams. A quick follow-up on those questions. Given that there’s around 400,000 undocumented immigrants here in New York City, some are in mixed-status homes. 

[Crosstalk.]

You talked last week about 400,000 undocumented immigrants in New York City, many who are in mixed-status homes. 

And last week, you talked about protecting the communities in the face of the incoming president’s deportation agenda. Do you have any more details on what kind of work you’re going to do? Have you been meeting, have people from your administration been meeting with the various agencies and non-profits or other organizations, just to give us an idea of what are some sort of specific steps your administration plans to do?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, I think that Commissioner Castro, who came into this work prior to coming to city government, is collaborating with all of these entities, organizations. He’s really been a point person here for the administration and making sure that we coordinate, based on the responses that are going to come with the new administration, how we have to coordinate effectively to address them and make sure that we continue to be a city where people can utilize those resources and take the next step on their journey of how to be an American in this city and in this country. And so Commissioner Castro is leading that, and as the scenarios play out, we respond accordingly.

Question: So no specifics yet? I know last week he said, if you’re gonna take a wait-and-see approach, he didn’t wanna be afraid, but listening to what Mr. Homan has said, it seems like this stuff is gonna happen very quickly. So there’s no specifics about what New York City will or plans to do?

Mayor Adams: No, and it’s not our desire to take a wait-and-see approach. We’re planning, we’re coordinating, we’re doing scenario planning. We don’t know exactly what are the next steps yet, and I think it’s premature for anyone to know exactly what it’s going to look like, but we’re putting in place several scenarios and we respond accordingly.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. How are you? 

Mayor Adams: Good. 

Question: The Council recently introduced a bill to enshrine protections in the city’s administrative code. The Council recently introduced a bill to enshrine protections in the city’s administrative code to ensure city retirees’ health care plans are kept the same and are not diminished by a switch-off to plans such as Medicare Advantage. If it passes, would you sign the bill?

Mayor Adams: I don’t know if I’m just not picking. I can’t hear you. 

Question: Yeah, yeah, yeah. This Council recently introduced a bill to enshrine protections in the city’s administrative code to ensure city retirees’ health care plans are kept the same and are not diminished by a switch-off to plans such as Medicare Advantage. If it passes, would you sign the bill into law? Would you support a bill like that?

Mayor Adams: One of the things I inherited that was just really problematic and we need to find a solution to is that the health care plan for our retirees. And so we’re gonna look at this bill. I know it was introduced previously. We’re going to look at it. We have to find the answer. We have a real problem with our health care benefits, the cost of health care, how it is impacting retirees and employees. 

I have a meeting coming up with the MLC, the union heads to try to address this issue. It’s a real problem and I inherited and we’re going to find a solution to it. And you can’t just merely say, let’s just legislate our way out of it. You gotta really find the funds without passing on the cost of these health care issues to workers and our retirees. 

We have had several meetings, Jaques Jiha, also Renee Campion, the union leaders, everyone is trying to put their heads together to try to figure out how we can solve this problem. It’s a real issue. And we’ll look over the legislation. 

[Crosstalk.]

Question: Two questions. First, you’ve predicted that mass deportations won’t happen in New York City.

Mayor Adams: You said, I’m sorry?

Question: You have predicted that mass deportations won’t happen in New York.

Mayor Adams: I predicted that?

Question: Yes, you’ve said that they won’t happen here.

Mayor Adams: Okay, I don’t know about predicted, but go ahead.

Question: Well, do you think that they will happen here?

Mayor Adams: We’re gonna do everything possible to make sure that people are treated in a digni[fied] and humane way that we’ve done for these last few years.

Question: Okay, so then my question is, how can migrant New Yorkers be sure that they won’t happen here, given that ICE can make arrests in New York City without police cooperation? 

And then the second question is, why should New Yorkers, including migrant New Yorkers, trust that you will advocate for them with the new Trump administration, given that you have a personal stake in winning the president’s favor?

Mayor Adams: Okay, a couple of things. Do you think every New Yorker believes there should not or should be mass deportation? Do you believe every New Yorker believes that?

Question: No, but you have said you don’t think there should be.

Mayor Adams: But you said, how can I advocate for New Yorkers? So I should only advocate for one type of New Yorker or all New Yorkers?

Question: Well, that’s tough. I don’t think you can advocate for all New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams: Oh, really? Okay, so which New Yorker I shouldn’t advocate for? The ones that agree with you or disagree with you?

Question: Well, if you believe there should be no mass deportations, how can people believe that you’ll advocate for that with the Trump, incoming Trump administration?

Mayor Adams: But you set up a question. This is very interesting, the question you set up. So there’s certain New Yorkers I shouldn’t advocate for?

Question: I’m not sure that was my question. My question was, why should New Yorkers trust that you will advocate for them with the administration?

Mayor Adams: Let’s go back again. There’s some New Yorkers, there are people who stop me on the street and says, I voted for the president and I believe there should be mass deportation. There are people stop me on the street and say, I believe it shouldn’t be mass deportation. So what one needs to do is have the ability to sit people in a room and come up with real solutions. That’s what I’ve been doing for three years. 

And so for you to state, I’m trying to cover someone’s favor when this is what I’ve been talking about since the beginning of my administration, that we’ve been in this problem, and even prior to that, I’ve been an advocate to deal with immigration issues. So this is not about trying to get anyone’s favor. This is about making sure we treat this city and the residents of the city in a humane way. And that I listen to both sides. That’s the difference between being a mayor and someone who could just give opinions. I got to listen to all New Yorkers, not just the one I agree with or disagree with. That’s what it costs when you’re representing the entire 8.3 million people.

Question: Hey mayor. Two questions. The governor is considering maybe unpausing congestion pricing before the Trump administration takes office with fears that they may try to undo it, but maybe the Trump administration wouldn’t be able to undo it if it’s instituted now. Is that something you would support? 

Also, the City Council looks like they’re gonna pass a bill that would basically get rid of the broker’s fee for renters and pass it on to the landlord. Is that something you support?

Mayor Adams: Okay, two things. One, I’m with the governor on congestion pricing. She has been a real partner, she understands and she heard the citizens of the city. I think it was $15 and there may be different changes in that. We have to deal with the environment. We have to deal with congestion. 

There are some New Yorkers who support congestion pricing. There’s some New Yorkers who don’t. 8.3 million people, 35 million opinions. Welcome to New York City. And if you think you’re going to just ignore the voices of those who support it and ignore the voices of those who are against it, that’s just not how you govern. You have to find the sweet spot and hearing all the people of the city, not just the ones that you agree with or ignore the ones you disagree with. 

And so the governor’s making those decisions, and I shared with her from the beginning when she decided to put pause that I support what decisions you have to make around this because it’s a very difficult decision but she’s trying to get it right and I appreciate that she’s listening to people that she disagrees with and people that she agrees with. 

When it comes down to the bill, we’re gonna look at it. I think that no one wants— affordability is a real issue in the city. People are leaving the city because it’s just too expensive and we need to find ways of ensuring that we get that affordability but we can’t do it with just a knee-jerk reaction. 

We need to analyze that if you pass the course on, think this for a moment, if you pass the cost on to the small property owners, nothing stops and that law stops them from building it into their rent. So it goes from a one-time fee to a permanent fee that’s built into your rent. And so some of the ideals collides with the reality of the operationalizing implementation. 

So we just gotta get it right, make sure we reach the goals that we’re looking for and at the same time, don’t hurt small property owners and try to give some relief to those who are trying to live in the city. So that’s the question that we need to look at and I think the bill has the right intention but sometimes good intentions do not get the results you’re looking for.

Question: Mr. Mayor, just on that bill that’s gonna be voted on tomorrow, have you had any conversations with the speaker or the bill sponsor about it? It seems like you have some concerns. 

Separately, last week in the election, Donald Trump increased his margins in New York City and in New York State, still Democrats won by a good amount, but does that concern you at all as the Democratic mayor of New York City?

Mayor Adams: I’m sorry. I don’t understand the concern part, why am I concerned?

Question: You’re the Democratic mayor of New York City, are you concerned that Democrats are losing support in the five boroughs in New York State?

Mayor Adams: It doesn’t surprise me. This far left agenda that I’ve been talking about for a long time, where we’re not focusing on working class people, and I’ve said this right here in the same room, some of the things that you talk about, it’s not what working class people are talking about. These working class people are concerned about the future for their families. And when you’re not talking to— when you’re talking about things that are not impacting them, how do I get the MetroCard? How do I make sure that I can put food on the table? These are real issues. And so when you’re not talking about those real issues, then it doesn’t surprise me that people are saying, listen, you’re not speaking on my behalf anymore. 

And I’m looking at all of these analyses that are coming from after the election, it’s no different from New York than other municipalities. It’s not only New York where people decided that we don’t believe people are speaking on behalf of those issues that are important to us. And I talk on the issues that working class people talk on, public safety, affordability, making sure they can provide for their families. 

We’ve increased wages in this city. We’ve made sure that everyday New Yorkers can— everything from earned income tax credit increase to what we have done with reduced fare MetroCard, making sure our union members get the contracts they deserve. Working class people have working class issues, not all this philosophical stuff that you guys find attractive. That’s just the reality. And so it doesn’t surprise me that across America, you’ve witnessed shifts like that across America, not only in New York City, but across America. 

And when I talked about public safety in 2021, it was ignored. When I talked about migrants and asylum seekers in 2023, it was ignored. 2021, the top of the issue, public safety. 2023, the top of the issues of voters, immigration. Working class mayor talking about working class issue. I’m sorry?

Question: On the broker fee bill, the question I had about that. Yeah, just if you’ve had conversations with the speaker or with the sponsor of the bill.

Mayor Adams: Tiffany Raspberry, the director of our intergovernmental affairs and her team over there have been in conversations with both sides of this issue to try to find some middle ground. I don’t want what we think is a good idea to turn into a long-term cost. 

I was a real estate agent. If you have to pay that fee of $800 one time to get a place, and then you change it and the owner of the property, particularly small property owners, decide that they’re going to spread it out to $50 a month. Now you’re paying that for the life of your rental. Because there’s nothing in the bill that states they can’t do that. We need to be clear on that. There’s nothing in the bill that states the property owners can’t pass that fee into the cost of that real estate. I mean, to the cost of that rental. 

And so, again, I’ve witnessed this in Albany and I see it now. Sometimes our ideas are not fleshed out enough to know what are the full long-term ramifications. So that $800, if it’s passed into the bill to $500 a month, within two years, you have now paid more than just that $800.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor, how are you?

Mayor Adams: Yep, how are you doing?

Question: Doing just fine. So you’ve repeatedly called on the feds to fix the border crisis and called them out for not addressing the issue. So aside from the work authorizations, which your administration has put front and center, what are some other concrete examples that your administration believes need to be fixed to address the migrant crisis in the city and have you communicated that with the incoming administration? 

And then, secondly, over the last week, there’s been a pair of hotel contracts that were wound down. The MoCaFi contract was not renewed. Is this part of your administration— do you believe that maybe under the new incoming Trump administration that the migrant population will sharply decrease and is this a result of that?

Mayor Adams: First, very clear examples of how we could address the current crisis. And I’ve said this over and over again. We have many municipalities in this country that are dealing with population shortages. Instead of allowing this crisis to control us, we should control it. 

When you come into this country, if you’re paroled into this country, you should be told where you’re going to, not you determine where you’re going to. So if we need populations upstate, if we need populations in Kentucky for the racing industry. If all of these municipalities where you have severe decreases in population, when you come into this country, you should be told, here’s where you’re going for three years and here are the services you’re gonna provide there during that time. And after three years, move around the country where you want to go. But now you’re providing a service to the country. 

And we have to expedite the work authorization. I don’t know if you realize how much goes into getting people the right to work. Where’s the logic of paroling someone into a country and telling them they can’t work? Then who’s gonna pick up their food, their clothing, their costs? This is a setup for failure. And so we need to expedite the right to work. If you allow people to come in, you need to allow them to come in and [the] right to work. 

When I speak to countries across the globe that are dealing with immigration issues, they make sure when you come in, you receive the training and you have the obligation to pay into the tax base of the cities that you’re going through. We need to do that here. 

And then we need to secure our borders. We need to make sure that we have secured borders so that you don’t have anyone coming in without the proper background checks. Who are they? Where are they coming from? Everyone should not come into this country, particularly if you’re coming here to harm everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans. And then those who create violent acts after they serve their time, they should not be in our country. Those are the very clear, concise things that I believe we should be doing. 

And we should focus on those industries where we are really hurting in employment. We are hurting in construction, food service workers. As I said, racing industry, the backstretch workers that are in the racing industry. There are many jobs that we’re not filling in this country. And immigration, the right immigration, has always been a benefit for this country because we were able to ensure we had the employees to fill many of these hard to fill jobs. And we need to go back to that very rich tradition.

Question: In the second part of this, do you think under the Trump administration— winding down these contracts, canceling, not renewing, MoCaFi contracts, are you expecting a sharp decrease in the market?

Mayor Adams: Prior to the incoming president, look at what we’ve done. I think our numbers are up to 160,000, close to 170,000 people we allowed to take the next step on their journey. We put in place our 90-day program. We were attacked, we were criticized for doing so. People who did not have to address this problem or solve this problem criticized us for saying, you don’t come to America to live in a shelter. And we saw a substantial decrease. I think we’re up to about 60,000 now in our population from the 20,000 that we had. 

We could have easily just said, okay, you come here, you stay forever. No, we said, we’re gonna show people how to take the next step in their journey. And because we did that, people went to the destinations that they wanted to and people found their way. Immigrants have always found their way in this country. 

And so we were able to— the MoCaFi contract was one year. We were clear. We’re seeing a decrease. That emergency contract is no longer needed. We don’t have to move in that direction. We think it’s a good idea to look at other ways that we have to provide food in the city so we don’t have waste. 

But the reality is that, because it’s a success of Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom and the entire team, we were able to bring down our population. And hats off to them. And we believe that we should continue to move in that direction. We would like to get, not only all of our migrants and asylum seekers out of our herks and shelters, but we wanna decrease the population in our shelters altogether.

Question: Mr. Mayor, sanctuary city laws, but let’s not talk about the families with kids that are awaiting what’s gonna happen. Or this is the city of migrants, I come from the immigrant community, so we understand that. But I wanna ask you about that part, you a couple minutes ago said you would like to see modified. Criminals, undocumented criminals to not have place in this city. Mr. Mayor, why don’t you issue executive order changing that and then deal with potential lawsuits and whatever may happen?

Mayor Adams: The City Council, they have an obligation to look at the impact of those who are repeat offenders, particularly violent crimes. That’s their obligation, that’s their responsibility. And I don’t want to be a dictator. I want my other arms of government to do their job. People who are repeat offenders of violent acts, after they serve their time, they should not remain in our city. And that’s the job of the City Council. And I’m hoping you’re asking them to look at that.

Question: But you issued an executive order to stop buses from coming at night, let’s say. And that worked, even though there were lawsuits after. So I’m thinking the same thing here. Why cannot you do that?

Mayor Adams: Our corp counsel and our legal team say the way to modify is to modify the law according to what is supposed to be done. So I’m not allowed just to issue executive orders on everything. The laws must be passed by the City Council. A lot of people think that the mayor have this overwhelming right, write an executive order, and then it becomes a law. That is just not how it operates. They need to look at this and address this issue.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. I wanted to go back to something you mentioned about the Democrats ignoring some of the issues that were brought up in the election. Do you now feel vindicated or that your criticisms of the Biden administration, when it came to immigration, were correct at the time, now that you see that immigration was a top issue for voters on Tuesday?

Mayor Adams: No, and I’m not looking for vindication. I’m looking to uplift this country and the city that I love. We really are not aware of what that failed policy has done to this city. 

Those billions of dollars that we had to spend on a national problem, only getting about 200 million from Washington, the long-term impact of that, those are billions of dollars we were not spending on much-needed services. So I wasn’t going to Washington for vindication. 

This hurt our city. It hurt working-class, low-income New Yorkers and that is problematic to me. That’s troubling to me. And I’m angry about it. I’m angry, and I shared that anger over and over again each time I went to Washington, D.C. The long-term impact of what happened the last two years in this city, we have yet to see the full outcome of it. 

They ignored the problem. And I think that when New Yorkers— I think it was Iowa, the first caucus, they pointed out Iowa wasn’t dealing with the immigration issue. But that was the top of their list. I mean, what were they listening to? And when you don’t listen to the problems of everyday working-class New Yorkers and Americans, they’re not going to listen to you.

Question: You mentioned New Yorkers being tapped by the incoming administration, the Trump administration. If you got asked to serve in the Trump administration and got an appointment, would you take it?

Mayor Adams: I have the greatest job on the globe, the mayor of the greatest city on the globe, the mayor of the city of New York. You don’t spend your life trying to climb to the mountain and then want to run off to another mountain somewhere. This is it, you know? 

Where else can you do a job and, on Tuesdays, enjoy the comfort and loving appeal of the press corps like this? This is the greatest moment that one could have. I’m happy, right here in this city, doing this job in a city that I love, and I look forward to continuing to do this job in the greatest city on the globe. There’s only two types of Americans, those who live in New York and those who wish they could.

[Crosstalk.]

Question: Two questions. Any resolution on the interim police commissioner? There’s reports that Donlon wants to stay on full term for the rest of the administration. And, second question is on congestion pricing. You gonna push Hochul to put in exemptions for people that live in the zone and for cops, firemen, and teachers who live outside and have to drive in? Would you push her to alleviate some of those problems?

Mayor Adams: Part of the ongoing conversations, we don’t want this congestion pricing to hurt working class people, particularly our transit employees, our first responders, and that’s part of the ongoing conversation to do just that. She will make the final decision, and I support her decision because she’s doing what’s best for the city. And your first one was what?

Question: The police commissioner.

Mayor Adams: I cannot tell you. Each one of these positions, whenever people transition out and there are vacancies, we don’t release the list of all those who attempt to apply because many of them are employed somewhere else, and we wanna be sensitive of that. 

We don’t have a vacancy in this city that we do not get a substantial number of qualified people to do so. That’s the same with the police commissioner. Police commissioner is one of the most coveted positions you could have in law enforcement. There’s a large number of people who have applied, and that’s what probably took me as long because I was really looking over their resumes. I made a bunch of calls this weekend, and I spoke to just some great candidates, I’ve communicated with the interim commissioner as well. We will find the best person. We wanna make sure we get it right so that we can move the department forward. 

And my idea is not only the public safety, we got the public safety locked in. I want to also make sure we take the Police Department into the next century. How do we use all of our resources and tools? Something was interesting. I don’t know how many of you missed it. In Florida, at the incoming president’s home, they were using one of our robotic dogs to patrol the grounds. 

When we rolled out the dog, many of you were criticizing that, but we’re seeing all the stuff we’re doing here is now being used nationally. People are using our drones. People are using all these different methods that we’ve used in the city, such as our robotic dog. Same company to now patrol the grounds for the president of the United States because we were forward-thinking. 

We’re gonna continue to be forward-thinking. And I think when people look back over this administration, they’re gonna see how these ideas are going to shape how things are done across the globe. Thank you very much.

 

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS MAKES PUBLIC HEALTH AND LAW ENFORCEMENT-RELATED ANNOUNCEMENT

Allison Stoddart, Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall: Hi, good afternoon. My name is Allison Stoddart, and I serve as chief counsel here at City Hall. Public safety and public health are key priorities of this administration, and we use a variety of tools to help keep New Yorkers safe. To tell you more about our latest effort to keep kids safe from e-cigarettes, I’d like to introduce Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, Allison. I really thank the team that’s here, a combination of New York City Public Schools, Sheriff’s Department, the corp counsel, and, of course, City Hall. We have been zero focus on this issue for some time now. Vaping and these illegal products really have an impact on our children. It starts them out at an early age of being really dependent on these illegal devices and illegal actions, we would say. And so this falls in line with our overall agenda to ensure that this city is the safest big city in America. I say it over and over again, we want to make it the safest city, period, in America, and this plays a major part on that. 

Protecting our young people means stomping out illegal vape and e-cigarette sales that target our kids. While we go out with the Sheriff’s Department on some of these locations where raids take place, we have identified that these products clearly focus on young people. Far too many of them are doing that. So today we’re announcing that we have filed a new lawsuit against Price Point, a major distributor, for their part in the illegal sale and shipment of flavored, disposable e-cigarettes. They are the most widely used vaping devices among our middle school and high school youth, and we know for many years that nicotine addiction among middle and high school youth— currently this addiction is exploding, and we have to get at the source of this problem, and one of these distributors is a major problem that we’re seeing in our city. 

And thanks in no small part to the actions of businesses like Price Point Distributors, they are feeding this problem, and it is hooking our teenagers on vaping and e-cigarettes. They have raked in thousands of dollars while putting our kids on the path to addiction, and it is a major health care issue that we are facing. They are making them customers and users. When they start out young, they become dependent for, if not a lifetime, for many years, and exposing them to unknown long-term health effects. 

Price Point’s greed has been pushing nicotine on our kids for too long, and today we say no more. We will not sit idly by as they continue to harm our kids, and we will not tolerate crime and disorder of this magnitude, which includes illegal sales of drugs, vapes, and other illegal cannabis products. We have already banned flavored e-cigarettes in the city, and from the moment we were given the additional authority from the state we needed, we were able to close over 1,200 unlicensed smoke shops and confiscate an estimated $84 million worth of illegal products and seize thousands of illegal vapes and vape products. 

And as I indicated, when you walk in these stores where illegal cannabis is sold, side by side to the cannabis, you’re seeing the illegal vaping devices and other mushrooms and other items, illegal mushrooms, are being sold as well, with the coloring and packaging that focus on our young people. 

A few weeks ago, we sent 1,200 pounds of illegal vapes out for destruction. That’s 1,200 pounds. These illegal smoke and cannabis shops undermine the legal cannabis market and target our young people with e-cigarettes and vapes. And so today’s lawsuit and the continued shutting down of illegal smoke shops go hand in hand with the work we are doing to bring down overall crime in our city. They feed on each other all the time. Many of these illegal shops are victims of robberies and other crimes. Loitering just really erodes the quality of life in our neighborhood. 

So New York City has seen 10 straight months of crime reduction, with overall index crime down 6.1 percent in October and 2 percent year-to-date. Last month alone, we saw decreases in robberies, felony assaults, burglaries, and grand larcenies, as well as drops in transit crime and car theft. We’ve taken over 7,000 ghost cars off the street, and we remain and will continue to be the safest big city in America. But it is imperative that we go after these quality-of-life issues that impact and target our young people. 

And that is why we’re here as a combined team. The corp counsel announcing this lawsuit, New York City Public Schools doing their educational apparatus, and the Sheriff’s Department continuing to take the appropriate action of closing down an illegal cannabis shop. Again, Allison, thank you.

Stoddart: Thank you, mayor. There is an extraordinarily talented, proactive, and thoughtful team in the Affirmative Litigation Unit at the city’s Law Department who crafted today’s litigation effort. And to tell you more about today’s case, I’d like to welcome Acting Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Truffant.

Muriel Goode-Truffant, Acting Corporation Counsel, Law Department : Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Muriel Good-Truffant, and I am the acting corporation counsel of the City of New York. Thank you, Mayor Adams, Chief Counsel Stoddart, DOE Director Rampersant, First Deputy Sheriff Glover, and all of the other agency officials who have joined us in this important endeavor today to protect the health of the young people of our city. I’d like to specifically recognize Deputy Chief Eric Proshansky and Assistant Corporation Counsel Aatif Iqbal and Alexandra Young of the Law Department’s Affirmative Litigation Division for their work on this case and related litigation on behalf of the city. 

Exotically and candy-flavored e-cigarettes, or vapes, are designed to eliminate the harshness of smoking traditional cigarettes. They facilitate the consumption of high levels of nicotine, one of the most addictive products on Earth, as well as other toxins. These vapes have yielded the largest increases in youth nicotine use ever recorded and have reversed a decades-long decline in youth tobacco use. The surgeon general has said an epidemic of youth e-cigarette use may condemn a generation to a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health issues, including death. Laws at every level of government have been enacted to address this public health threat. 

Yet, defendants in this case that we have filed today continue to flout the law and put profits over the well-being of our youth. After just a few points and clicks, our investigators were able to purchase and have delivered to addresses in New York City disposable-flavored vapes, such as cotton candy, raspberry, watermelon, and cherry cola. We have also had dozens of flavored vapes sent to addresses in other states as well. 

Price Point says it is a wholesaler as well as a retailer of these vape products. Based on our analysis of PricePoint’s web traffic, we believe that they conduct significant nationwide business. The shipments made to city investigators violated numerous federal, state, and local statutes, including the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act and constitute mail fraud under RICO. 

The deliveries also violated bans of disposable vapes under New York City public health law and New York City’s administrative code. The city’s case also alleges a public nuisance, conduct harming the health of a large number of people in our communities. We’re asking the court to enjoin Price Point from making these illegal sales. As we proceed in the litigation, we will also seek statutory penalties and damages, which can be significant. 

This lawsuit should send a message to any company or individual who thinks they can illegally line their pockets at the expense of harming kids. The city of New York will hold them fully accountable. Thank you.

Stoddart: Thank you. This administration’s work to protect children and teens from e-cigarettes goes beyond this singular lawsuit. To tell you about the protections we’re putting in our school system, I’d like to welcome Public Schools director of Security, Mark Rampersant.

Mark Rampersant, Director of Security, NYC Department of Education: Thank you. First of all, I’d like to thank our mayor and thank our corporation counsel for their relentless pursuit to continue to keep our young people safe in our city. 

In New York City public schools, we are taking this very seriously. Some of the things that we are doing, first and foremost, every parent, we are committed to the pursuit of keeping young people safe in our schools. We are taking proactive approaches to reducing the prevalence on vaping in our schools and substance overall. 

Our substance abuse counselors, who are providing direct services to our students and to our families, are relentless in their efforts to continue to provide this support, starting from our pre-K students, believe it or not. We are using an evidence-based classroom lesson approach to meet our young people where they are and educate them on the harmful effects of vaping. 

We are utilizing our counseling supports to provide direct support for those students who may have indulged in some of these items that look like candy and they are attractive to young people. Unfortunately, our young people are falling prey to this. We are aggressively, aggressively working to educate each and every young person in our schools and we want parents to know that we have doubled down. We are utilizing the work of all of our caring adults to provide direct services to our young people. 

We are at 296 substance abuse counselors throughout New York City public schools to date. We are aggressively working with our partnerships with New York City Mental Health and Hygiene as well as New York City Department of Youth [and Community Development]. We are aggressively working to make sure that we are meeting every need, not only of our young people, but we are also providing counseling support services and counseling to our parents as well. So please forgive me. 

We are happy to announce that last year, in partnership with the New York Foundation and the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene, we launched a partnership with Catch Global Foundation to address nicotine as well as the vaping epidemic amongst our youth across the city. And we have announced our Catch Your Breath initiative. The Catch Your Breath initiative is really an initiative to focus on preventing vaping and providing training to young people in classrooms as well as resources available to our parents by way of our health education advisors, starting in elementary school. But this particular initiative is focused on our middle school and our high school students. 

We want you to know that at New York City Public Schools, we know that we are far from done, but we want to assure every parent that is listening that we will continue to keep our fight up to keep our young people safe, healthy, and free from the dangers of vaping. Thank you very much.

Stoddart: Thank you. And we will now take some on-topic Q&A.

Question: I’m not sure who to best address this to, but I’ll start with the mayor. 

What is to stop stores that are selling this product right now, from still selling it, in light of the lawsuit? In other words, how quickly might this have any kind of teeth? If I’m a kid getting out of high school right now, couldn’t I just go to any bodega in the city, get this product, and enjoy it?

Mayor Adams: Great question. And it is a combination. What we have found to be successful is a multidimensional approach. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. It’s a combination of, as New York City Public Schools just stated, education, because we want to stop young people believing that vaping is cool, is hip. They need to know the medical and the long-term impact and ramification, particularly nicotine addiction. I think the corp counsel stated it best. We’ve come a long way from turning back the nicotine source coming from cigarettes and now just to watch this increase again. And so education is crucial. 

The second is enforcement. The team over at the marshals of the sheriff’s office, you’ve witnessed time and time again, we’re going in getting large stockpiles of nicotine, vaping, and other illegal products in these cannabis shops. We want to continue an aggressive enforcement because you have to hit them in the pockets. Talking about millions of dollars, $60 million. It says a lot. So we’re hurting the economics of this. 

And third, looking at those who are out on the outstretch of our direct enforcement within the city. This office is located on Long Island. They are mailing into our city. Is it illegal to do so, to sell anywhere in the city? And so that’s why this lawsuit is significant because we’re not going to allow people to skirt the law by going to outside locations. 

And then we want to reexamine our legislation in Albany to see what we could do more, if it means increasing fines, if it means attaching some type of penalty or medical costs that’s associated with this. We want to lean into what we could do in Albany. We had, you know, the last legislative session, we were successful in getting the new changes that allow us to close down many of these shops. We want to see where we have to go from here, and we’re going to learn that from the team to make that determination.

Question: Is the Department of Investigation, I don’t know if the corp counsel wants to speak, still the probe against Sheriff Miranda and some of these raids and perhaps some donations to a Latino officer’s group, is that still open?

[Crosstalk.]

Mayor Adams: If you have a question on, you know, an outstanding investigation, DOI is doing that. DOI will make a determination. 

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. 

Mayor Adams: How are you, Dana? 

Question: I’m all right. Two questions for you. First, one of the many health concerns associated with vaping is tooth decay, and I’m curious if you support keeping fluoride in the water supply, given what you mentioned yesterday about being unfamiliar with the debate. And then the second is, I’m just curious if you could tell us who appointed Tarik Sheppard as chief of staff of the NYPD.

Mayor Adams: The fluoride question, like I stated, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene– that’s why you bring on experts. Your experts give me the advice, and then I make the final determination on how we’re going to move forward. Is there another question?

Question: I believe the number you said is 296 substance abuse counselors. I was hoping you could talk more about other plans to expand that number, and what is the exact classroom education that you’re doing to try and prevent uptake of these devices? How are you monitoring success of that? Are you tracking outcomes at all? 

Rampersant: Thank you very much for that question. Again, our substance abuse counselors, which we are very proud of the work that they are doing throughout our New York City public schools, and we are, thanks to City Council and additional funding, we were able to expand that number this year to 296. And while we have 296 vacancies, there are a small number that are not filled at the moment. 

However, the additional 200+ SAPIS workers that are out doing this work right now and are doing it with our respective individual schools. They are doing pre and post lessons with young people, asking questions about their likelihood to indulge, right, starting from the youngest ages, as I just shared with you. So we are keeping the data on the success of the program. I have to tell you, we’ve been widely successful in educating young people thus far, and we continue to work aggressively to keep that downward trend.

Question: Mr. Mayor, how are you?

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: Good, thanks. As you know, vapes are affecting children across the country, and I wondered, Mr. Mayor, if you’d spoken with the president-elect about the issue, and also to congratulate him, and of course, whether you’re hopeful Trump’s newly appointed attorney general might help with your criminal case?

Mayor Adams: I didn’t hear the beginning. 

Question: You want the beginning? Okay. So vapes are affecting children across the country, and that’s, you know, that’s an issue across the country. So I wondered if you’d actually spoken to the president-elect about that issue, to congratulate him, and also whether you’re hopeful his newly appointed attorney general might help with your criminal case.

Mayor Adams: I communicated with the president yesterday to state that there are many issues here in the city that we want to work together with the administration to address, a lot of our infrastructure issues, a lot of the issues that we shared yesterday with the team here. The city must move forward, and that’s what our goal is to do. 

And no, we did not talk about the incoming administration to look at this vaping issue, but these are one of the many topics that I think should be a federal approach to address the problem of vaping in the city. 

Question: Did you congratulate him yesterday?

Mayor Adams: I don’t go into conversations I had with people.

Question: Are you hoping to file more lawsuits against other providers, or is this lawsuit intended more as an example for others? 

And then since you brought up that question with Trump, did you address immigration or deportation terms during that conversation?

Mayor Adams: I think that the corp counsel really pointed out something that I hope we all didn’t miss. And we fought hard throughout the years to take down the nicotine addiction and what it did and some of the healthcare issues from what Dana pointed out, tooth erosion, to all the other items that are impacting our young people, starting out this early, vaping. 

And so we believe we’re going to use every tool in our toolbox, and that includes more lawsuits where we find culprits that are guilty of trying to circumvent the law. Whatever tools we can use, from enforcement to education to lawsuits, litigation, we’re going to use them all to accomplish that task. And again, I’m not going to go into private conversations. Liz, how are you?

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. Do you think there’s any common ground you can reach with President-elect Trump on public safety?

Mayor Adams: I think I’m the type of person who can reach common ground with anyone and everyone. That’s the goal. Public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. And I think all of us want to be safe, and that is something that I push for. And that’s why we continue to be the safest big city in America, because we use all the inroads that are necessary to accomplish that. 

We have thousands of illegal guns off our streets, how we’re dealing with ghost cars, how we’re keeping our schools safe, decreasing crime on our subway system. So safety is important. And the federal government plays a role in ensuring that the previous administration, at the beginning of my term in 2022, really was engaged, bringing in a new ATF officer so that we can coordinate the illegal guns that were coming on our streets. So I look forward to coordinating with any and everyone to keep this great city safe. I want New Yorkers to be safe, and that’s important to me.

Question: Mayor, most of the political world is down at Somos. Why are you not, and why are you not going?

Mayor Adams: We had a—my flight was booked, my hotel was booked, but I wanted to make sure that I’m here. We had a few demonstrations yesterday. I think we had a total of seven, if I’m exact, from the briefing I received. There’s a lot to do here. And I need to be here for these next couple of days as we move forward, as we make these transitions. There’s a great deal of work that I have to do. I enjoy going to Puerto Rico, but I need to be here in the city right now. There’s a couple of things that I’m focused on that I’ve got to accomplish. No, I’m not going at all.

Banner Image: Mayor Adams at Flight 587 event. Image Credit – NYC Mayor