Tensions are running high in the Big Apple's mayoral office as at least three deputy mayors under Eric Adams have reportedly threatened to resign, with their discontent centered around Adams' cooperation with President Donald Trump on immigration policies. Maria Torres-Springer, the First Deputy Mayor, along with Anne Williams-Isom and Meera Joshi, who oversee Health and Human Services, and Operations, respectively, confirmed their concerns during a meeting at Gracie Mansion, as Crain's New York and Politico reported. The deputies are notably disturbed by the perceived closeness between the Democratic mayor and the Republican president, a union which seems at odds with the traditionally liberal leanings of the city's electorate.
The deputy mayors' potential departures spell trouble for Adams, who has been leaning on his respected deputies to restore trust in his administration following a controversial dropped criminal case against him, and high-ranking city officials say there's "a lot of commotion with agencies," a sentiment shared by the administration's constituents, making internal harmony as elusive as the trust of the people they serve according to sources at Crain's New York. In response to the deputy mayors' concerns, the spokesperson for Mayor Adams, Kayla Mamelak Altus stated, "if and when we have personal announcements to make, we will make them." Adams himself has sought to play down the discord, with his spokesperson asserting that Adams is in constant communication with his team and that no resignations had occurred at that time.
Amidst the internal turbulence, Adams' recent appearance on Fox News with Trump's border czar Tom Homan seemed to embolden critics, as Homan menacingly stated, "If he doesn’t come through … I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’" according to Crain's New York Business. The meeting and subsequent public appearance underlined the mayor's straying from his former stances and raised the stakes for his political future in a city where Democratic loyalties dominate. Adams' support for civil enforcement of migrants, which he later amended, along with suggestions to amend the city's sanctuary laws without going through City Council, have amplified concerns about his policy directions.
Adding to the controversy was the resignation of an acting prosecutor following an order from Trump’s Justice Department to drop corruption charges against Adams, with the prosecutor alleging quid pro quo actions tied to immigration policy deals, a claim that has been vehemently denied by Adams' attorney Alex Spiro and acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, as Politico reported. Despite the mayor's attempts to demonstrate authority, such as threatening to sue the Trump administration over the seizure of FEMA funds for migrant shelter, the political fallout casts a shadow over his administration's capacity to navigate through this fraught period with its leadership and principles intact.
