President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan wants Mayor Eric Adams to cooperate on deportations. | Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
NEW YORK MINUTE: President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, is in New York City today seeking Mayor Eric Adams’ cooperation on immigration enforcement — a day after the Trump administration clawed back $80 million in migrant funding from the city’s coffers.
More on that, and New York’s tense state of play with Washington, below.
RED LIGHT ON GREEN LIGHT: Trump wants to make an example out of his home state.
He’s chipping away at measures he says benefit undocumented immigrants at a cost to those with legal status.
“Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York,” his newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi said at a high-drama news conference Wednesday. “And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next.”
Bondi announced the Trump Department of Justice would sue the Empire State and Gov. Kathy Hochul over its “Green Light Law,” which in part prohibits data-sharing with federal immigration officials.
The challenge, filed in federal court in Albany, alleges conventionally blue New York impedes federal efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, POLITICO reported.
It was only the second stunning blow to New York on Wednesday.
Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had earlier touted that the agency “clawed back” $80 million in FEMA funds meant to provide shelter and services to migrants in New York City.
While that spat entangled Trump-friendly Adams, the lawsuit ensnared only state leaders. State law allows all New Yorkers to apply for a driver’s license regardless of their legal status while restricting access by federal immigration authorities to that data.
Hochul postponed a trip she had planned for today to Washington to meet with Trump in light of the lawsuit.
She called Bondi’s presser “smoke and mirrors” and the filling “a routine civil action about a law passed in 2019 that has been upheld by the courts time and again.”
In her lengthy statement, the governor said the laws allow immigrant agents to access the DMV database with a judicial warrant, Elon Musk should not get his hands on the info and New York welcomes law-abiding immigrants.
"We expect Pam Bondi's worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure, just like all the others,” Hochul concluded. “Let me be clear: New York is not backing down.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has led or joined multiple lawsuits against Trump’s whirlwind of executive orders, is also named in the suit.
“Our state laws, including the Green Light law, protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe,” James responded in a statement. “I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have.”
The Trump administration has argued that it’s the one trying to keep New Yorkers safe.
“Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people,” Bondi said.
While the Trump Justice Department is taking aim at state officials, it wants Adams off the hook.
Asked why, as of Wednesday afternoon, the Southern District of New York had yet to dismiss Adams’ fraud case as instructed by Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, Bondi expressed surprise.
“That case should be dropped,” she said. “I did not know that it had not been dropped yet, but I will certainly look into that. — Emily Ngo
Insurance Hitting Uber Riders in the Wallet. New York State has some of the most onerous and expensive insurance laws for rideshare trips in the country and Uber riders are paying the cost. In December 2024, 25% of rider fares on average went toward government-mandated commercial insurance for Uber rideshare trips. Lawsuit abuse and the litigation environment in New York are driving up costs of everything even more, including insurance premiums. Learn More.
WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Albany.
WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, making a housing-related announcement, meeting with border czar Tom Homan and then speaking at the M/WBE Awards Celebration.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “These sites not only enable but also perpetuate illegal drug use.” — Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, in a letter asking the Trump administration to close government-sponsored safe injection sites in Manhattan, via the New York Post.
ABOVE THE FOLD
The Roosevelt Hotel has been used as a shelter for migrants. New York's sanctuary city provisions that shield asylum seekers and other migrants are at risk. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
ADAMS’ LOYALTY TEST: The mayor’s meeting with Homan today will test his commitment to sanctuary city policies that severely limit the city’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
It’ll also test the strength of his alliance with Trump ahead of his Democratic primary in June.
Adams has mused about changing sanctuary city policy in a way that helps him deport more violent criminals, but that’s just been talk. And Homan is “not happy” about the city’s current level of cooperation, the New York Post reported, and wants to see more.
Of course, the toughest political challenge will come if Adams is forced to respond to the Trump team targeting migrants who are not accused of any violent crime. Support Trump and he risks further alienating Democrats; challenge him and he is in danger of retribution.
The mayor’s decision is complicated by the Trump administration's order to drop his criminal case specifically “to support critical, ongoing federal efforts” on “unlawful mass migration.”
“Look at the record, look at what I have done, how I have recovered the city, how we have fought for the safety of everyone in our care,” Adams told reporters Wednesday when asked if he is prioritizing Trump’s interests. “There’s nothing going to change that.”
The president’s lifeline to Adams came at such a political cost that he’s considering running as a Republican. The mayor even called up Bronx GOP Chair Mike Rendino this week — who promptly shared his skepticism of the party switch with The New York Times.
Some of Adams’ remaining Democratic allies have no tolerance for flirting with ICE raids — like how the head of 32BJ SEIU lambasted Adams’ directive on how to handle immigration agents who show up to municipal shelters and hospitals.
Adams’ law department changed the guidance to be firmer against ICE. Adams may hear today what Homan has to say about that. — Jeff Coltin
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CITY HALL: THE LATEST
City Council Member Gale Brewer will introduce a resolution backing prison reforms after the fatal beating of Robert Brooks. | Amy Sussman/AP
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: City Council Member Gale Brewer will introduce a resolution today backing prison reforms being pushed by state lawmakers after the fatal beating of an inmate at the upstate Marcy Correctional Facility.
Rochester man Robert Brooks, who would have been eligible for parole next year, was repeatedly beaten by a pack of correctional officers in December while his hands and legs were restrained. The attack, which was ruled a homicide last week, was captured on body camera footage that was released in late December.
The resolution comes as Brooks’ father, Robert Ricks, is set to testify in Albany today at a public protection budget hearing.
In his testimony, also shared first with Playbook, Ricks will support reforms geared at increasing accountability and oversight in the prison system. The measures were proposed by state Sen. Julia Salazar, who wants to address that neither the governor nor the prison system’s commissioner can fire a corrections officer.
“My son has been taken away from me, and I believe that he is in a better place,” Ricks told Playbook. “So there’s nothing left for me to do but to fight and to advocate and do all that’s within my power to prevent this from happening to anybody else’s son, anybody else’s sister, anybody else’s mother. That’s all that’s left.”
Disgraced former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is advising Ricks, was in the Capitol Wednesday to show support for the reforms.
“The right thing is to ensure that officers are actually adequately disciplined or fired when they commit violence against someone, we should not have any tolerance for it,” Salazar said.
Assemblymember Demond Meeks, who represents the district where Brooks lived and personally knows Ricks, is also supporting the reforms.
“The community and people across the state are calling for justice,” Meeks said. “These are human beings who are being treated as less than, and we have to be intentional in pushing back.” — Jason Beeferman
PRIVATE MONEY, PUBLIC SPACE: First in Playbook, a new independent expenditure group is planning to spend a quarter million dollars boosting City Council candidates who support wider sidewalks, faster buses and more bike lanes.
People for Public Space is “here to make public space a political priority,” President Sara Lind told Playbook. Lind is co-executive director of anti-car-culture nonprofit Open Plans and the new super PAC was seeded with a $300,000 donation from Open Plans’ founder Mark Gorton — though the two groups are legally distinct.
People for Public Space expects to back three to five council candidates in the June Democratic primaries and hopes to influence the rest of the body.
“This council decimated the outdoor dining program, watered down the reform of parking mandates in City of Yes and is looking to license e-bikes,” Lind said. “We hope the next council will be better on these issues.” — Jeff Coltin
More from the city:
— The Department of Investigation is probing an AI firm whose technology was piloted in a migrant shelter at the behest of one of Adams’ former top aides. (POLITICO)
— The DOJ’s order to drop Adams’ case tests the independence of ambitious interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon. (New York Times)
— Zoning for new apartment towers near Park Slope cleared a key City Council committee, the latest project in the city’s push to build more housing in every corner of the city. (New York Times)
A message from Uber:
NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY
Lawmakers want more control over pay raises for SUNY and CUNY officials. | Jim McKnight/AP
SUNY OVERSIGHT: A key Democratic lawmaker is backing a measure to expand legislative oversight of compensation for public higher education leaders.
Democratic state Sen. Pat Fahy is signing onto a bill that would require executive and legislative branch approval of pay raises for SUNY and CUNY officials.
The bill is being pushed by state Sen. James Skoufis after POLITICO Pro reported SUNY Chancellor John King was handed a $125,000 pay raise in November. King’s annual compensation package is now more than $1 million.
SUNY has not weighed in on the bill but previously defended the pay hike for putting King’s salary on par with the leaders of large public university systems.
“It was tone deaf,” Fahy told Playbook. “We just heard the whole country talk to us about affordability.”
Fahy previously served as the Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair and was miffed SUNY did not give her a heads up that King was receiving a pay raise.
“A little heads up to the Legislature is never the worst thing,” she said. “As higher ed chair I had no notice.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters this week she is also open to the measure. — Nick Reisman
More from Albany:
— Hochul issued a rare form of veto for an unapproved bill. (City & State)
— Federal funding threats are looming over the health care budget talks. (POLITICO Pro)
— The governor called on the New York Power Authority to suspend plans for an electric rate hike. (Buffalo News)
KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION
Rep. Nick Langworthy and other New York Republicans have rejoiced over the challenge against the “Green Light Law." | Bonnie Cash/Getty Images
NY GOP CHEERS: The Trump Justice Department’s challenge against the “Green Light Law” won the praise of New York Republicans who’ve been calling for years on Hochul to repeal it.
They’ve had little traction as the minority party in blue New York but they’re getting somewhere now that the GOP controls the levers of power in Washington.
“Truth,” Rep. Nick Langworthy posted on X. “The days of putting criminal illegals over the safety of New Yorkers are over. Bravo @AGPamBondi for stepping in to do what NY Democrat leaders have failed to do.”
Rep. Mike Lawler reupped the call for repeal.
Last month, Langworthy, Lawler and Reps. Claudia Tenney, Nicole Malliotakis and Nick LaLota sent a letter to the governor — their common political foil — that read in part, “Migrant crime in New York state alone should be enough to reconsider the Green Light Law.”
Malliotakis also applauded the legal slap at New York Democrats, noting she had voted against the law when she served in the state Assembly.
The Staten Island Republican said in a statement, “New Yorkers will finally see their elected officials held accountable for their actions and failure to prioritize public safety.” — Emily Ngo
More from Congress:
— The top House appropriator says bipartisan negotiations to avoid a government shutdown have not been derailed as Speaker Mike Johnson accuses Democrats’ offers of “not deliverable.” (POLITICO)
— Members of the Steering and Policy Committee — with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the room — complained activist groups have facilitated thousands of calls to members’ offices. (Axios)
A new era in Washington calls for sharper insights. Get faster policy scoops, more congressional coverage, and a re-imagined newsletter under the leadership of Jack Blanchard. Subscribe to our Playbook Newsletter today.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
— Trump’s immigration policies are creating problems for Hochul’s ban on cellphones in schools. (Gothamist)
— A group of universities — including Cornell and the University of Rochester — are suing over NIH funding. (Spectrum News)
— A state prison was locked down on Wednesday after inmates took control of dormitories. (Times Union)
A message from Uber:
Insurance Laws and Lawsuit Abuse create more costs for Uber Riders
New York residents already shoulder some of the nation's highest auto insurance costs, paying an average of $3,840 a year for full coverage.
Similarly, the mandatory cost of rideshare insurance per trip in New York is among the highest in the country. One reason behind this is the $1.25 million in liability coverage when a passenger is in the vehicle, which is 25 times the liability requirement for personal vehicles.
Insurance premiums continue to rise in part because of the litigation environment in New York. Lawsuit fraud and abuse drives up costs for everything, including insurance rates.
Uber is pushing for commonsense legislative changes that keep all trips covered while bringing down the cost of trips.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD: A 25-year-old mother gave birth to a baby girl on the W train stopped at the Herald Square station Wednesday morning. (Gothamist)
MEDIAWATCH: John Ganz, David Klion and Zephyr Teachout are joining The Nation as columnists.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Equality New York’s Melissa Sklarz … Former NYC Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich … Glenn Riddell of The Riddell Group … Ronnie Croce … former Assemblymember Al Graf … WSJ’s Jacob Gershman … Chip Smith … Bloomberg’s Stacie Sherman … Fox News’ Cailin Kearns … Reuters’ Mike Spector … Danielle Vaghi … Blackstone’s Elizabeth Lewis … Samantha Slater … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Josh Hammer ... Anna Miroff
Missed Wednesday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.
