Moderate members of New York City’s otherwise overwhelmingly progressive City Council met with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, on the same day the lawman met with Mayor Eric Adams.
Homan, himself a New York State native from the Watertown area, joined a meeting of the bipartisan “Common Sense Caucus” led by Councilmembers Bob Holden, D-Glendale, and Joann Ariola, R-Howard Beach.
At the meeting, Homan pledged to act swiftly when informed of another migrant shelter being planned for an outer borough.
Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato told 1010WINS after the meeting that Homan had been incensed to learn that Adams’ Office of Asylum-Seeker Operations had announced a 2,200-bed shelter in the Bronx.
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Tom Homan and NYC skyline (AP/Reuters)
“Get me that address,” Homan reportedly told Marmorato, R-Throggs Neck.
The shelter is planned for a low-income area off the Bruckner Expressway in Mott Haven – not far from the RFK-Triboro Bridge, according to reports.
“Enough is enough,” Marmorato – the only Bronx Republican on council – headlined a press release about “migrant dumps” there.
Holden is a moderate who famously took office in 2017 by unseating a Democrat who outraised him tenfold while running on the endorsed Republican, Conservative and Dump de Blasio ballot lines.
“Today, we had a productive meeting with Tom Homan, the Border Czar, to discuss the serious public safety consequences of sanctuary laws,” Holden said in a statement.
“I have full confidence in Homan and his team to enforce federal laws and keep our communities safe.”
As for Adams’ meeting with Homan, he appreciated the mayor’s acknowledgment of the crisis, but added, “words are not enough – he needs to take real action.”
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Adams, who on Thursday also pledged to work with the feds to fight gang proliferation at the city’s Rikers Island prison, announced executive action to reopen an ICE facility on the island in Hell Gate.
Holden called the move a “significant first step” toward prioritizing New York City public safety.
“I first pitched the idea of reopening the ICE office in December, and I’m glad to see action finally being taken. Thank you to Tom Homan for his leadership on this issue.”
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Brighton Beach Republican and immigrant from Ukraine, noted that her family “came here legally” and slammed the “top-down failures” of the Biden era.
“It’s a thrill to have a man of action leading immigration and border enforcement,” Vernikov said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that she was unable to make the meeting itself but sent a staffer in her stead.
“The consensus is that we are all done with the media and leftist politicians making excuses for lawbreaking,” she said, adding that she had paved her own path to legal citizenship and now practices immigration law.
“Illegal immigration is destroying this city and is offensive to citizens. Full stop. If the mayor won’t revoke sanctuary city status, I expect the Trump administration will provide very compelling and hard-hitting incentives to do so.”
Ariola, who took over as the caucus’ GOP co-chair upon longtime Staten Island Councilman Joe Borelli’s retirement, said on X that “we need change – we need it now.”
Councilman David Carr, R-New Dorp, also tweeted about the Homan meeting, saying New York needs to stop “shielding” migrants from ICE.
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Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, R-Whitestone, reacted to the meeting by pledging to double her efforts to fight the crisis.
“Despite the progressive monopoly in this city, I plan to use whatever power I have, in partnership with the Trump Administration wherever possible, to keep my district and my constituents safe,” she said.
Democrats currently hold a 44-5 supermajority on the council, with one vacancy from each party.
One caucusmember, however, skipped the meeting with Homan, saying that she had a scheduling conflict and that “not every immigrant is a criminal.”
“I am an immigrant. No one can ever tell me about the challenges faced by newcomers to New York and to this nation,” Councilwoman Susan Zhuang, who was born in China, told City & State.
“Find the criminals and deport them, yes. But leave decent hard-working families alone,” said Zhuang, D-Dyker Heights.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
