NEW YORK : Abu Taher: Mayor Eric Adams, thank you so much for your time and thank you. I know you are very busy, busy schedule, but because of the love for our community, you made the time. Thank you so much and we are grateful to you.
Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. It’s great to be on with you. Bangladeshi community is a very important community.
Taher: Yes, thank you so much.
Mayor Adams: And your network allows information to get out and so I thank you.
Taher: Thank you so much. We know each other. It’s been a long, long time when you were, you know, the borough president. When you came to our office, I remember organizing a meeting for you with the community. So it’s been a long time we have a tie with you. So my first question is, okay, what is the state of [the] city when you came into office and how is it now? I mean, how is New York City now?
Mayor Adams: Well, the city was in a total problematic state, mainly because of COVID. We had to shut down the city. Many of our children were not in school. Our economy was really struggling. We were losing jobs. We saw that crime, we had a 40 percent increase in crime. No one was on our subway system. Many of our children were not getting the proper support when you deal with learning disabilities. NYCHA residents were not having a proper high [broadband] program. [Inaudible.] And so we were dealing with a multitude of issues.
And within two years, a little over two years, two and a half years, we witnessed more jobs in the city’s history. Currently in New York, we saw unemployment drop substantially. Small businesses are operating. We saw over close to 20,000 illegal guns off our streets. People are back on our subway system. Over 4 million daily rioters. In the month of August, robbery was at the lowest in recorded history in the subway system. And so we continue to see this city come back. Bond ratings, we have improved our bond rating. We have high-speed broadband technology in internet service, high-speed broadband internet service to all NYCHA residents for free.
We really invested in our young people from Summer Youth Employment to Summer Rising to internships. And we brought communities together of different ethnic groups without Breaking Bread, Building Bonds. Over 1,000 dinners of coming together, sitting down together, and as we support each other.
Everything from [the] war on rats to containerizing our garbage, to [the] war on preventing those from having support [for] learning disabilities with dyslexia screening in our schools. And so the city is thriving, building affordable housing. We broke records in two years back-to-back in building affordable housing in this city and transitioning people out of homeless shelters into permanent housing.
So you witness an administration that cycled us through COVID, and cycled us through 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers, that we were able to ensure that no child or family slept on the streets. And so we are really pleased by what we’ve done. We’ve got more work to do, but we have moved this city forward in two and a half years.
Taher: Okay, so mayor, are you happy about the progress as you mentioned? Or [do] you think you should do more for the city residents to make sure they’re [safe] and [secure]?
Mayor Adams: You always do more. You always do more. You know, safety is very important to me. Everyone knows that’s the foundation for me. And, you know, when you have the random acts of violence, it gives the impression that the city is not safe, when in fact it is. When you look at it, major crimes have decreased in the city.
But we’re always impacted when you have random acts of violence. And much of that random acts of violence, it is due to the people dealing with severe mental health illnesses. When you have a person that stabbed three people on our streets, that person was dealing with a severe mental health illness. When you have individuals who shoved citizens on the subway tracks, they’re dealing with severe mental health illness. And so what’s overshadowing our success is that you have these random acts of violence. And most of them are being carried out with those with severe mental health illness. But we always want to do more. We always want to make sure New Yorkers are safe. And we’re going to continue to do that.
Taher: Thank you so much. So, as you, I was in your press conference, as you mentioned that New York City is not a safe haven for criminals. And, you know, the new administration, the president of the United States will be Trump on January 20th. He’s going to take the oath. And then they are talking about mass deportation. You had a meeting with Mr. Homan, you mentioned, about the criminals.
But not only Bangladeshi, all over the city, there is uncertainty. There is a concern. There is anxiety going on, on the undocumented aliens who are living in this city. And they, most of them, they are not criminals. What is the message to them? How will the city make sure they are not targeted by ICE or any other agencies?
Mayor Adams: Our goal is to always ensure those who are here receive all the support and services that the city has to offer. This is a city and a country of immigrants. Immigrants play a vital role in the movement of the city, not only paying into our economy, through their taxes and through their purchasing of goods and services. They are a vital part of many of the jobs we have in this city. And so this will always be a city where immigrants are welcome.
But it won’t be a city with those who come here that commit violent acts. And that is what I shared with the Homeland Security personnel that came here that was representing ICE. My conversation with him was to state, what is your goal and how do we coordinate in accomplishing that goal? His goal, like mine, is to go after those dangerous individuals who are committing crimes. Like the person who set a passenger on fire in the subway system and sat there and watched her burn to death. He was illegally here. He should not remain in our country. After he serves his time, he should be turned over to ICE and he should be deported. And that is what we’re functioning on.
But the everyday immigrant, documented or undocumented, when they purchase something, they pay taxes. And with those tax dollars, they have a right to the goods and services that the city provides. So if they need their children educated, they should be allowed to go to school. If they need police services because they’re a victim of an emergency or crime, they should be allowed to call the cops. They should be allowed to go to the hospital for emergency care.
All the things that their tax dollars are paying for, they should have access to. And that is why we are encouraging those who are immigrants here, documents or non-documented, that you should still carry out your lives in a regular way. We will never participate in targeting those innocent people. But we want to be clear that those who are committing repeated acts of violence, we will coordinate with ICE to address their actions and particularly to have investigations on them.
Taher: So as you know, New York City has a Proposition 187, which they will not, the city will not, especially the city enforcement agency will not cooperate with ICE or any other federal agency to, you know, to search the undocumented or, you know, detain them or catch them. This is a charter of the city. Will you uphold this charter?
Mayor Adams: It’s not the, I don’t, I do not support any mass [deportation of] innocent people who are following the law. And I want to work with ICE to make sure that we have a compassionate way of dealing with anyone that they come in contact with.
My goal is to focus on those who are committing illegal crimes in our city. That’s always been my goal. But let’s be clear that the federal government is in charge of immigration. Local mayors and local governors do not control immigration. It’s controlled by the federal government. And if there’s a way for me to coordinate with ICE to go after the criminals, without harming everyday undocumented individuals who are doing the right thing, I’m in support of that.
Taher: If they targeted the undocumented who are not the criminals, and if the city is not cooperat[ing], and then if they take any action, what would be your reaction?
Mayor Adams: Well, again, immigration is controlled by the federal government. ICE has the authorization to deal with people who are undocumented. I don’t think that there’s that shared desire. And I don’t want to use hypotheticals when there are so many real situations we have to deal with. And the real situation I had with the border czar showed that their concern is to go after those who are committing serious crimes, which many New Yorkers support.
There are no New Yorkers who support someone who burns an innocent woman to death to remain in the country after serving their time. And so Americans have clearly communicated their desire. This is what the president ran on. And we saw not only did he win the popular vote, he won the electoral votes. And so his message was a clear message. And we cannot go in contrast to what Americans are asking us to do. They want us to secure the border. They want us to make sure those who are paroled into the country are not of the criminal element or dangerous gangs. They want us to be proactive to those who are coming in the country and reactive to those who are in the country committing crimes. And I strongly support that.
Taher: Yeah, so about this one, New York City and you, I remember you told me your legacy will be that how you protect the people who came in the city as a sanctuary city. And you provide all kinds of support. Though there is a tense [relationship] between New York City and the federal government. The federal government, they were supposed to come up with the help in that situation. You don’t get that kind of help. So the new administration is coming, and then the city still remains. There are a lot of, you know, immigrants there in the shelter. What is their status? Will you close the shelter [or] will it remain open?
Mayor Adams: No, we are cycling people out of the shelters. Over 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers have entered our city that we were able to document and went into our care. We gave single adults 30 days to take the next step on their American journey. We gave 60 days to women with children to do so. Out of those 220,000 individuals, we were able to have over 170,000. [Inaudible.]
And no child or family will be sleeping on the streets of the City of New York. I made that clear. And so the goal is when you come to the country like other immigrants have done, you don’t come to stay in shelters forever. You come in to take the next step in your journey. And that is what we did. We gave extensive care on legal services.
We gave them care on how to get temporary protected status for individuals. We helped get work authorization for individuals. National leaders have looked at what we have done and have commended us for what we have done. They said no city is doing what New York is doing. And these are national immigration leaders who are supporting what we’re doing.
Taher: Okay, you are the custodian of the city. And compared to other big cities in the U.S., why is New York City the best city to live in? How do you justify that?
Mayor Adams: For a number of reasons. No one can take away, number one, our best transportation system on the entire globe. And we’re the safest big city in America. 8.3 million people. You know you do have some who commit illegal behavior. But when you do an analysis of New York and others, we’re the safest big city in America. And safety is important. We have a wonderful school system. Employment is amazing in this city. When you think about tech jobs, financial jobs, healthcare industry is thriving. We have jobs that are high income, moderate, middle income, and low income.
Everyone here has an opportunity to start out and be able to move to the middle class. And we show the level of compassion for so many people. We’re going to be excusing medical debt. Billions of dollars in medical debt. We are allowing those with low income to have low, reduced fare MetroCards to move around. We have tax breaks for low income New Yorkers. If you make 150 percent at the poverty level, federal poverty level or lower, we’re going to excuse your income tax. And so when you look at how we help people move into the middle class, it shows that this is the working class, blue collar city, and this is the city where we helped you get ahead and move forward.
Taher: Thank you. I would like to know, you are running for re-election the coming year. And there are some reports that came because of your good relation with the future President Trump, President-elect Trump, you could be a [Republican] candidate. Is it true?
Mayor Adams: No, I’m running as a Democrat. I ran as a Democrat as a state senator. I ran as a Democrat as a borough president. And I ran as a Democrat as a mayor. I’m running as a Democrat again. I’m a blue collar mayor. And I’m a true blue Democrat. But at the same time, my values are American values. And I’m always going to stand up for the things that are important in America and things that are important in New York City. And I think Americans have communicated clearly to the elected officials that they want our borders secure, they want our living standards to be affordable, and they want to live in safe cities. And that is what I’m always going to push and I’m always going to fight for. And I can do it as a Democrat.
Taher: And people, critics say your face, your dress is blue, but your heart is red. What is your comment?
Mayor Adams: Well, I say to them my heart is red, white, and blue. Those are the colors of the American flag. And that is what my heart is. And I think sometimes people want to do litmus tests on you. If you don’t agree with everything they stand for, they want to put you in certain categories. My categories are very clear. I have a red, white, and blue heart. And that’s the heart of an everyday American. That’s the heart that my uncle went and fought and died in Vietnam to defend. And that’s the heart I’m always going to stand up for.
Taher: So your heart is red and blue, both. Okay, so what is the message to the Bangladeshi community?
Mayor Adams: I’m sorry?
Taher: Any message to the Bangladeshi community living in New York City? You know, it’s a very growing community. There could be a determining factor in the future election.
Mayor Adams: The Bangladeshi community is a very important and powerful community. You look at its large population in Brooklyn, over the McDonald Avenue area. You look at their large population in Queens, Flushing, Elmhurst area. And you look at their large population in the Bronx. And they represent what I represent. They believe in family. They believe in faith. They believe in small businesses. And most importantly, they believe in public safety.
It is a community that has dedicated their commitment not only to their homeland, Bangladesh, but their adopted land called New York, and called America. And I’m looking forward to them continuing to rise in this city as they continue to look after their families, embrace their culture, but also share the culture of this great country. And this community has always been a friend and ally to me, as an elected official, but you’re a friend and ally to the great City of New York.
Taher: Thank you so much. And just last, one thing. You know, Win Rozario’s death by police shooting. Any message to the family?
Mayor Adams: My heart goes out. As a law enforcement, former law enforcement officer, I responded to many calls of services dealing with people who are having a mental health episode. And I know how challenging it is, not only for the family members, but also the police officers. My heart goes out to the family members. No one wants to lose a son to any type of action when they’re seeking help.
My heart goes out to them. They’re in my prayers. I will say a special prayer for them as we enter the new years. And I always want to remind people of how challenging it is for police officers when they respond to calls of services. They have to respond to these calls, and it’s extremely challenging. You do the best you can to keep people safe. And that’s what these officers want to do. We have over 30,000 officers that are committed to keeping New Yorkers safe. And oftentimes they walk inside a job, they don’t know what they are facing, and they have to make these tough decisions. And so, both civilians and our uniformed officers, it is my desire to make sure that they are safe.
Taher: Thank you so much. Thank you, mayor, for your time.
Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.
