Mayor Eric Adams of New York City wants local police and federal immigration officials to work together more

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is poised to overturn decades-long sanctuary city regulations that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

"We can't have the small number of migrants and asylum seekers that have been identified as dangerous hide under the law," he said at a news conference Tuesday Adams. "There is nothing you can do about it because you cannot tell ICE."

The city's ordinances were designed to safeguard the immigrant community by restricting how local agencies can aid in federal detention and deportation endeavors.

These sanctuary measures have faced significant opposition from conservatives in recent weeks, spurred by notable incidents involving migrants, such as a confrontation with police and a shooting in Times Square.

Adams' remarks signal a departure from the stance taken by New York City mayoral administrations over the past three decades. The city's support for sanctuary city policies originated in 1989 when Mayor Ed Koch implemented an executive order preventing city agencies from sharing migrant information with federal immigration authorities.