A coalition of New York City public defender offices, immigrant and civil rights organizations, advocacy groups, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams hailed a court ruling that found the Adams Administration’s Executive Order 50 — which sought to reopen the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office at Rikers Island — illegal.

Earlier this year, the groups submitted a joint amicus brief in support of the New York City Council’s lawsuit, urged the court to block the order, and warned that it would cause immediate and irreparable harm to incarcerated immigrants, their families, and entire communities across New York City.

This ruling is a critical victory for all New Yorkers and a rejection of the federal government’s mass deportation agenda, and of the Adams administration’s unlawful and dangerous Executive Order 50,” said Meghna Philip, Director of the Special Litigation Unit in The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice.

“The Executive Order was a clear violation of New York City’s sanctuary protections and would have opened the door to racial profiling, wrongful deportations, and constitutional violations by ICE on Rikers Island,” she continued. “The court’s decision ensures that ICE stays out of New York City jails and that our sanctuary city laws are upheld.”