Transcript: Mayor Adams Holds Media Briefing to Discuss Impacts of 2024 Presidential Election on New York City

November 6, 2024

First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer: Good morning, everyone. My name is Maria Torres-Springer. I'm the first deputy mayor for the City of New York. We know that New Yorkers woke up this morning with very strong feelings about the results of this election and its reverberations. And as you will hear from us today, we in this administration are unequivocally focused on protecting and preserving what matters most to New Yorkers, upholding the values our city cherishes, and doing what is needed to move our city forward.

New Yorkers should rest assured that we have been preparing for various outcomes and will continue that work now that the outcome is clear. We have been focused on a range of budgetary, policy, and civic matters. You'll hear more about this from members of the administration over the course of this discussion. But first, I would, of course, like to turn over the podium to our mayor, Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, first deputy mayor. And I really want to thank the entire team throughout the last two years and 10 months of challenging some of the most pressing issues that this city and big cities across America have been experiencing. And I want to say to our fellow New Yorkers, the votes have been counted and America has elected a new president, incoming President Donald Trump.

As Americans, we respect the will of the power of the people and [are] committed to the peaceful transfer of power. And while our city will always respect their right to peaceful protests, there will be zero tolerance for actions that cross the line and to crimes such as violence, vandalism, blocking traffic, or disorderly behavior. The New York City Police Department under Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon and our entire team will ensure that we uphold the law.

I want to congratulate President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and wish them all the best as they work to promote the interests of the American people. As mayor of America's largest city, our main team will work with the incoming administration for the good of all New Yorkers. We will collaborate with our mayors across this country to come up with a real agenda that could help cities across America, including making sure we continue to get support for our housing, infrastructure, education, health care and more. And I intend to defend and fight for our city's values as part of the process.

No matter who is president or what party controls Congress, this city will always stand up for the rights of women, our immigrant brothers and sisters, our LGBTQ+ community and millions of others. In New York, women can be confident that their reproductive rights are secure. Our city remains committed to protecting and advancing women's health care, including access to abortion care. No matter what happens across the country, abortion care will always be available in New York City for anyone who needs it. That includes women outside of this city who come here seeking the care they are denied in other places.

We also intend to protect our immigrant communities, and we will work with the new administration in Congress to develop a realistic and compassionate national strategy for our immigration system. This includes pushing Congress to provide expedited authorization for asylum seekers who desire to work, and they are already here.

To those immigrants who are living here pursuing the American dream, as so many generations did before you, New York City stands with you. Our city will also continue to offer care, resources and legal help to those who need it. Regardless of immigration status, we will be here for you. New York City will always remain a city of immigrants and a beacon of liberty around the globe. And our administration's executive order protects physicians providing gender affirming care.

This administration is working every single day to make this a safer, more affordable city for all New Yorkers. And we will work with the incoming administration to ensure we can continue to build critical infrastructure throughout the five boroughs. Under Deputy Mayor Joshi's leadership, we will continue to fight for every dollar to build the infrastructure we need to keep our city functioning and create climate resiliency. These are generational projects that we must move forward, no matter who is in the White House.

I want to salute Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz for running a powerful campaign that inspired and uplifted women, communities of color and millions of others across the nation. As Americans, we must find a way to unite our country as we move forward. I understand that this has been a difficult and divisive campaign, but the millions of ballot casts show that American democracy remains strong.

If we have seen anything over the last 248 years, it is that American people will never give up on trying to make this a better nation for all. But it takes work, it takes commitment, and it takes grit. Democracy is not something that happens every four years. It's the work we do every day, especially here in New York City. I urge every New Yorker to stay engaged in our political process. Make your voices heard and keep your community strong. New York City continues to be a place where all are free to express their opinions peacefully. This is how we built this great nation and how we will keep New York the greatest city on the globe. Thank you.

First Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you, mayor. What we saw across the city and across the country, of course, was very strong turnout. Here, in New York, New Yorkers got engaged and voted early in robust numbers. We're seeing counts of 2.4 million ballots cast, close to 400,000 mail-in ballots requested, close to 40,000 observers and volunteers fanning out across the city. And so, we want to thank all of them. I want to thank New Yorkers for participating fully and volunteers for ensuring that New Yorkers can do so.

As the mayor mentioned, it's no secret that the campaign trail was difficult and divisive. But for us here in this administration, now comes the hard part, but the important part, and that is the active course of governing. Hard as it may be, New Yorkers expect us to be resolute in ensuring that we move the city forward, that we work, as the mayor mentioned, with the new administration as constructively as possible to do all of the things that strengthen our city, rebuild our infrastructure, create jobs, uplift working people, protect our residents, and preserve the liberties that New Yorkers enjoy.

As I mentioned earlier, New Yorkers should rest assured that we have been preparing for different scenarios. We've been doing that type of planning to ensure that we are prepared to protect and preserve what matters most to New Yorkers. As part of that work, we reviewed the implications of the 2016 elections, we identified key funding and policy risks, and we've charted, already, actions that we need to be prepared to take to mitigate those risks and to seize opportunities for New Yorkers in the stretch ahead.

So just to give some highlights, here's what we're focused on. Number one, we're focused on the budget. We understand that the success of our city is deeply intertwined with the support of the federal government, and that's why we have proactively anticipated the needs of our city, and are prepared, as always, to advocate fiercely for our interests. And it's important, because if you look at our FY25 budget of about $112 billion, about $8 billion of that is from federal grant revenue. So that's about 7 percent of our budget. And it matters to issues from housing, to education and services for our young people, to programs that serve older New Yorkers. And then, of course, to the types of programs and investments that we have to make to ensure that we have the resources to strengthen our infrastructure and to combat the threats of climate change. And so to talk specifically about that, I want to invite Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, our D.M. for operations.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Thank you very much, first deputy mayor and mayor. Good morning. This morning, we know we now have a new president. We have the same infrastructure challenges, though, that we had yesterday: crumbling bridges, pollution, excessive heat, and extreme water that overwhelms traditional sewer systems. These troubles know no political affiliation. They know no state boundary. They're bipartisan in the toll that they take on communities.

The Adams administration has been awarded over $2 billion in federal money that will secure and grow our city's infrastructure and bolster our city's and our region's economy. Together with the new administration, we will continue to work through the funding and implementation of our grant awards, many of which, due to their size, complexity, and bipartisan support, outlast multiple administrations.

These are dollars won based on the merit of the projects, true critical infrastructure needs. These are investments in building a better New York City and New York City jobs. For example, $90,000 invested in strengthening our city's infrastructure, green or concrete, creates a good-paying, sustainable job. We've won over $2 billion, that's over 25,000 jobs created.

And we lead the nation in turning a climate crisis into an economic opportunity. New York City's green economy will host nearly 400,000 jobs by 2040, becoming the anchor of a prosperous, equitable, and just future for New Yorkers. This includes jobs in renewable energy, converting our buildings to lower-emission operations, activating our blue highways, and sustainable modes of moving freight. Our work with the new administration on strengthening our city's 21st-century infrastructure is work that is fundamental and key to America's competitive success, and it will not slow down.

First Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you, D.M. Joshi. So, as I mentioned, we're focused on a number of areas. The first one is the budget and resources that we will continue to need from the federal government. The second area is that on policy. The mayor already mentioned, in terms of immigration, our city has always been a place of tolerance and of respect, and we will continue to be that beacon of hope and work with the new administration for the types of reforms that are needed to fix our broken immigration system.

And for those who are living here, immigrants, migrants, you should know, of course, that if the United States is the land of opportunity, we have always believed that New York City is the purest distillation of that, and that will not change. The other area, in terms of policy, that we have been extraordinarily focused on and will continue to be is on healthcare and on reproductive rights. Our city remains committed to protecting and advancing women's healthcare in every way. We will fight to ensure that it remains that way, and that we continue to lead the nation in ensuring that every woman has the autonomy and support to make informed choices about her health. And so to speak more on this, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, Anne Williams Isom.

Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom, Health and Human Services: Thank you, first deputy mayor. As the mayor and the first deputy mayor stated, our administration is well prepared to work with the incoming administration to continue to ensure that we receive the federal support we need to continue to deliver for New Yorkers.

Our work is also rooted in our unwavering commitment to New York's values. That means standing to support all New Yorkers to help every child, every family, and individual thrive. Continuing to create a welcoming city for immigrants and ensuring everyone, including migrants and undocumented folks, have the right to city services, education, healthcare, and public safety. And to assure that healthcare continues to be a fundamental right in our city. And when I say healthcare, I don't just mean access to an abortion. I mean all kinds of reproductive care.

So the right to have a healthy baby, the right to decide if you don't want to have a baby, the right to get help if you are struggling with infertility. One in five women in New York City struggles with infertility. All of that remains. No matter what happens across this country, women will have access to the reproductive freedoms they deserve in our city.

With the passage of Proposition 1, we are grateful New Yorkers have reaffirmed the statewide right to reproductive freedom among our civil liberties. As a reminder, our administration launched the Abortion Access Hub, a first-of-its-kind hotline that confidentially connects callers to abortion care providers and financial support. We have also expanded access to medication abortion and telehealth abortion services to all. We will also continue to be a city with a strong social and healthcare safety net. And we will work to ensure that every New Yorker eligible for social service benefits can receive them, and that healthcare continues to be accessible regardless of your background.

I woke up this morning reminded that public service often requires commitment that runs deep, one that is steady and focused on those that call this city a home. That is our job, and that is what we will continue to do. New Yorkers have our word that we will continue to work with the incoming administration to support the more than three million New Yorkers who rely on public benefits, which are largely possible due to a productive and collaborative relationship with the federal government. At the end of the day, everyone is up here for one reason, because we want to help people, no matter if it's a good day, an easy day, or anything in between. And so with that, we are dedicated to our mission because New Yorkers are counting on us.

First Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: Thank you, D.M. Anne. So we're focused on the budget, we're focused on policy matters, and, of course, we remain focused on security preparedness. So as New Yorkers reckon with the reverberations of the election, we want everyone to know that we are prepared for every eventuality to ensure New Yorkers' safety and the rights of peaceful protest. And to speak more about this, I'd like to invite Interim PC Tom Donlon to the podium.

Interim Police Commissioner Tom Donlon: Okay, good morning everyone, and thank you first [deputy], and Mayor Adams, we thank you very much for having this press conference today, and all of you for being here with us. Millions of New Yorkers went to public polling sites yesterday and had their voices heard, and at every one of our 1,200+ polling sites, they were protected by members of the NYPD. I want to express my thanks and deep appreciation for the work of our NYPD officers throughout the day, and along with the highly regarded and competent school safety agents at our polling sites across the city.

There were no incidents yesterday, and that's a credit to the incredible job our officers did to keep our city safe. And now the election is over, our department will continue that work. The business of New York goes on, and the NYPD is ready, as always, to keep it operating smoothly. Just as we protected everyone's right to vote, we will also protect the right to peaceful protest. But as we said time and time again, we have no tolerance for criminal activity, violence, property damage, or disruption, or emergency, or emergency services.

We're assessing all safety concerns, working closely always with our federal and state partners, and we have also resources available citywide to address any issues regarding demonstrations, whether they are planned or unplanned. Our department is well prepared, highly trained, and we've dealt with this many, many times before. Our NYPD officers always rise to the occasion, and I'm extremely proud of their exceptional performance, and professionalism, and dedication. They're the very best at what they do, and they prove it every day. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Hold on, before we do questions, do you have any questions for my team and staff here? Ask it. If not, they're going to go back to work. If there's something directly to one of these team members here, you could ask that question of them. If not, I'm going to excuse them so they can go back and do their job, and I'll answer any other questions.

Question: A question for Commissioner Castro. Are you worried that Dreamers, such as yourself, could be deported?

Commissioner Manuel Castro, Immigrant Affairs: Well, thank you for the question. We want to be clear that, as a sanctuary city, we intend to follow the law. We expect that all our city agencies follow our sanctuary laws.

Sanctuary laws make it clear, with respect to how we collaborate or if we collaborate with federal government, that it sets the boundaries. It explains how we use our resources. And I want to make sure that our immigrant communities know that, as the mayor has said, we will continue to be a sanctuary city, and we will continue to protect our immigrant communities.

That said, I want to say that as a thriving city of immigrants, we will demonstrate the contributions of all our immigrant communities to our local economy and to the well-being of our city. And so, right now, the most, I think, the most harm for immigrant communities is a sense of anxiety and panic that is setting in, the misinformation, and some instances of hate crimes. So I want to reassure people that we will be working together as an administration to reassure immigrant communities and that they have the information that they need. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom: Can I just have him say the end part in Spanish, please?

Commissioner Castro: Quiero asegurarles a nuestras comunidades emigrantes que estaremos trabajando conjunto, toda la administración, para asegurar que tengan la información correcta, que no sean víctimas de odio y que sepan que ésta seguirá siendo una ciudad santuario y que les estaremos protegiendo su información y no estaremos siguiendo las instrucciones del gobierno federal en casos de deportaciones masivas. Gracias.

Translation: I want to assure our immigrant communities that we will be working together, the entire administration, to ensure that they have the correct information, that they are not victims of hate, and that they know that this will continue to be a sanctuary city and that we will be protecting their information and will not be following the instructions of the federal government in cases of mass deportations. Thank you.

Question: [Crosstalk.] Can I ask specifics about what the city is doing to shield migrants?

Mayor Adams: We took your question, and you're not going to disrupt off topics. You could ask, we're not disappearing. If you've got another follow-up question, you know how to reach Kayla, you know how to reach Fabien. No, we're going to move to the next question.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I have two questions. The first one has to do with transportation. A number of transit groups and people who ride the trains are worried that there might be cuts to federal aid to the MTA. This is a question for you, Mr. Mayor.
So I'm wondering if you think that, given the fact that the governor has paused congestion pricing and there's the possibility that the Trump administration might go to the federal transportation administration and ask them to not certify congestion pricing, do you think that Governor Hochul should unpause congestion pricing now so that we can get funding for the MTA and be guaranteed to get money for them?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think the governor has shown real true leadership around this conversation, and I believe she is going to have a briefing later today. She's the leader on this, and that's the conversation or question you should raise to her. I'm in support of whatever methodologies the governor chooses to use as we move forward. She's shown that she could guide this state through very turbulent times, and so whichever method she decides, I'm in partnership with the governor.

Question: In terms of the economy of the city and the possibility that the president might try to deport some migrants, I know we have sanctuary city issues here, but I'm wondering if you're concerned that if migrants leave because of their fears of what's going to happen, if this could adversely affect the city economy because there'll be a loss of people working and a loss of tax income? And are you worried that it will affect the city's bottom line?

Mayor Adams: Well, our city's bottom line was affected when 220,000 migrants and asylum seekers were placed in the city without any federal assistance that was substantial. We were impacted, billions of dollars, and what Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom was able to do, 170,000 have been able to go on to the next step in their journey because of the proposals we put in place, including getting work authorization.

The most important thing we can do for those migrants and asylum seekers that are already here in the country, who were paroled into the country, is give them work authorization. We said this over and over again, people should be allowed to work.
Cities like Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, we should not be picking up the tab of migrants and asylum seekers. This is a federal problem and that is what we've had to do and it's unfortunate of those billions of dollars taxpayers had to pay for. So many have moved on to other locales that they wanted to go to and some have returned back to their homelands. We're going to continue to do our job like we've done for those 170,000 that took the next step on their journey.

Question: I want to circle back to the undocumented immigrants question. President-elect Trump- it's for both of you.

Mayor Adams: No, the question that Kayla asked, do you have a question for the administration? This team needs work to do. You got a question for the administration? The commissioner is going to answer your question.

Question: President-elect Trump has said that he's going to start mass deportations day one, regardless of whether municipalities participate. He's saying he might use the U.S. military. Is this administration going to participate in those mass deportations in any way? And then to follow up on Matt's question, if not, what are some specific steps that this administration will take to protect undocumented immigrants?

Commissioner Castro: So I know that these are questions that have come up and I want to make sure that we're taking a step back and not adding to the fear and anxiety that immigrant communities are already facing. We need to really take stock of what is actually happening now, which is increased misinformation online, panic and fear setting in because of what people have heard. I want to reassure people that they do not need to self-deport, they do not need to hide [and] go in the shadows, and that they can continue to use our city services, especially emergency services, like our Police Department, our hospitals, and so on.

The biggest threat right now is, again, the fear that's setting in. Everything that people have heard during the campaign, we need to take a step back and make sure that people have the correct information. Now, what we're doing, we're working with all of the agencies that interact with immigrant communities to make sure that they understand what our sanctuary laws are and that they are expected to follow and how do we prepare for anything that might happen in the near future.

But again, we want to make sure that, you know, we do not set more panic into the community because that could be what's devastating. We saw this first time around. We want to mitigate anything that may come of that right now. Thank you.

[Crosstalk.]

Mayor Adams: Go to the next question, Kayla. Don't disrupt our off-topics. He just answered you. If you're going to disrupt our off-topics, I'm going to ask you to leave. If you're going to disrupt our off-topics, I'm going to ask you to leave. I'm going to ask you to leave if you're going to disrupt our off-topics. Yeah, listen, we've answered it. Well, I'm going to ask you one more time to stop disrupting our press conference. Go ahead. Yes, how are you, Monica?

Question: Hi, thank you. I have a question for NYPD about the possible threats. Are there any for the demonstrations, for vandalism? Is the city seeing anything that is credible? And I also wanted to ask Mr. Mayor, you or NYPD or Commissioner, you said that you are not a fan of those immigrants who committed crimes to stay in the city. With the election results, do you hope that this can be achieved?

Mayor Adams: Our sanctuary city's laws, that were changed under the previous administration after Mayor Koch put in place those sanctuary cities laws, Mayor Bloomberg made some slight modifications of the same. It was changed under the previous administration that those who committed even serious crimes after they served their time could not collaborate with ICE.

I don't support that. I've said that over and over again. That lack of support of that portion of it still remains the same. But the law of this land in this city is the sanctuary city law, and we're going to abide by that law. Anything you want to add?

Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, Police Department: In terms of threats, there are no threats, and we're going to do what we always do. We're an agency that's prepared. We'll work with the communities. We'll allow people to elevate their voices in regards to their cause, but we won't tolerate any criminal activity.

Question: Hi, I have a question for D.M. Williams-Isom. It's about vaccinations. Could the federal government change, reshape, override any kind of vaccination rules that are in schools, government, public? I know during COVID, for example, we had no vaccination rules. So how does the federal government interact with the city on things like that?

Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO, Health and Hospitals: Dr. Mitch Katz, President and CEO of New York City Health and Hospitals. This country has a very strong tradition of state control of health issues. Even the Centers for Disease Control is advisory. So states get to determine policies around immunization.

You have seen in the news some states making decisions, but New York City and New York State have never supported exclusions. We'll continue to care for all. So I don't anticipate- The FDA obviously affects what gets approved, but once things are approved, it's a state's rights issue.

Question: A supreme court case?

Dr. Katz: I'm not a lawyer. I can only say that the country has a very strong history of state control of health policy.

Question: Hi, yes. I wanted to go back to the immigration issue. Is there a communication that's happening right now between City Hall and incoming Trump administration? And what type of information are you giving to the immigrants here to settle those problems with anxiety and fears that you mentioned? And then also, last thing, can you just, once you say it in English, also say it in Spanish as well?

Commissioner Castro: Reminds me of two years ago, when we were doing this with the asylum seekers. But look, there are limits in place as to what we can communicate with, with respect to immigration, the federal government. So that's in place.
I've already spoken with the school's chancellor early this morning to talk about how we best support our immigrant families who have children in the schools. That's top of mind for us. We do not want our immigrant parents to stop sending their children to school.

I will have similar conversations with other commissioners, agency officials to make sure that we have a plan in place to communicate and support immigrant families. Again, we want people to come forward if they have been a victim of a crime or if they have been a witness of a crime.

Of course, this does not just impact immigrant communities, but it impacts all New Yorkers if immigrants are not coming forward. And I can go on and on. What's important to know is that, right now, we cannot add to the anxiety and the fear that people are experiencing. And that is my message to all of you. We want to take a step back and wait to see what will come in the next couple of months and educate our immigrant communities about their rights and about our sanctuary laws.

Por el momento, lo que estamos haciendo es coordinando con las agencias del gobierno de la ciudad para que entiendan cuáles son nuestras leyes santuario, cómo ayudar y apoyar a las comunidades inmigrantes, especialmente a los padres de familia que tengan a niños en sus escuelas, aquellas personas que han sido víctimas de un crimen o han visto un crimen que sigan utilizando nuestros servicios de policía o servicios médicos y otros tipos de servicios de la ciudad de Nueva York. Lo importante es no aumentar el temor y la ansiedad que tiene nuestra comunidad inmigrante en estos momentos y ayudarle a entender sus derechos y nuestras leyes santuario. Gracias.

Translation: Right now, what we are doing is coordinating with city government agencies so that they understand what our sanctuary laws are, how to help and support immigrant communities, especially parents who have children in their schools, those people who have been victims of a crime or have seen a crime continue to use our police services or medical services and other types of services in New York City. The important thing is not to increase the fear and anxiety that our immigrant community has right now and to help them understand their rights and our sanctuary laws. Thank you.

Question: It's for the NYPD, if he wants to take it. There was a 90-day crackdown announced on street vendors. I'm wondering if you guys have reconsidered that at all in light of concerns that have immigrants kind of wrapped up into the criminal legal system?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, you said the 90-day crackdown?

Chief Maddrey: Yeah, he's talking about what we're doing on Roosevelt Avenue. That's a specific initiative just to address criminal activity, quality of life conditions on Roosevelt Avenue. It'll continue to go on. It will continue to go on. And it's nothing that's directed towards our migrants or immigrant population. It's about just cleaning up Roosevelt Avenue, which has undergone some serious quality of life issues and criminal activity, and we need to address it.

Question: The broader crackdown on street vendors, it's come up as a concern among immigrant advocates right now. Do you have any plans to reevaluate that at this point?

Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry, Operations, Police Department: And thank you for the question. And yes, when we say we'll crack down, it's like, we're not going in, we're not taking the vendor's property. We're going in, we're educating them, we're giving them leaflets, we're giving them pamphlets to let them know how to become a legal vendor here in New York City. And if they don't follow those rules after several times of us going there and telling them how to do it, then we're going to take enforcement action. Hope that answers your question.

Mayor Adams: And this is not NYPD generated, the community asked for it. [Inaudible] on Main Street for years has asked to clean up that area. Francisco Moya over on Roosevelt Avenue. Everything from the sex trafficking to the illegal vendors, people don't want to have disorder in their communities. And so we're responding to the calls of residents. And those who are advocating that we should not do it, they should educate people on how to follow the process to be a vendor.

You cannot have a state of disorder like we saw on the Brooklyn Bridge, like we're seeing on Roosevelt Avenue, like we saw on Main Street. And we heard the other day at a town hall on Coney Island Avenue in the Bronx. People are concerned about that. They're concerned about their communities turning into open air markets and they want the quality of life that they deserve. I don't have vendors in front of Gracie Mansion. Why is that? Because it would not be tolerated. So if it shouldn't be tolerated on the Upper East Side, it should not be tolerated in other parts of the city. We're responding to the calls of the residents.

Question: To the first deputy mayor. You said a moment ago that you and the staff had gamed out a number of post-election scenarios. In so doing, what did you identify as the biggest risk to the city? And what are you most concerned about?

First Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: In all of the scenarios, we started with what matters most to New Yorkers and what matters most to New Yorkers from the federal government are a number of issues, including that we have the resources that we need to improve the lives of people across the five boroughs. I mentioned some categories earlier from housing to education to health care.

Regardless of who is in the White House, what we need from the federal government is significant and we're to continue to advocate for that. We also have to make sure, given the challenges that we are facing in our city today, whether it's the response to the humanitarian migrant crisis or climate change and our ailing infrastructure, that we have the type of partnership with the federal government to not just get those resources, but to have the types of policies and programs that allow us to move forward on those policy issues in the same way.

So for each of the potential scenarios, some are constant like policy and like budget. And now our work as we anticipated is to make sure that, from this day forward, we are not just identifying what those risks are or opportunities, but that we're working in partnership with different kindred spirits, coalitions of business and labor and other elected officiants, our New York delegation to fight for those things that matter most to the people who we serve.

Question: I don't know if this is for the police commissioner or police chief. I guess under city laws, the law enforcement is not supposed to cooperate with federal authorities under certain immigration situations. I'm wondering if that has been reinforced and how do you guys plan to... I mean, there are migrant hotels and places around the city where there are just thousands of migrants. Is there any plan to protect those places if federal authorities do decide to come in and begin mass deportation?

Chief Maddrey: So, the first part of the question, it's something that we've been reinforcing for years. We don't ask people about their status as being citizens, whether we're taking a police report or making an arrest. We just do that in a fair manner and address the condition and the situation as needed. In terms of the migrant hotels, locations where people are living, we do provide security out there already. We provide security out there already and we're going to stay in the same posture, just making sure that they're safe, that they have a decent quality of life. And as things progress, I'm sure the mayor under his leadership, he'll give us direction and we'll address those things as needed.

Mayor Adams: Okay. Thanks, team. Thank you for being here. How are you?

Question: Good, thank you. So I just want to ask you if you can be a little more specific overall about the migrant strategy of the city with the incoming president? Because for two years you asked President Biden for a decompression strategy and more funding, right?

You said that without federal aid, the city wouldn't be able to care for all these migrants. But even though Trump is anti-migrant, he's also more sympathetic to the city's play, potentially, right? Of having to care for them.

So I didn't hear you say today that you're asking Trump for any more money or for the decompression strategy. Is that because you think he just wouldn't agree to it? And is deportation just now a bigger concern than the cost of the migrants? That's my first one. The second one is, did you call President Trump or reach out to him to congratulate him?

Mayor Adams: No, I have not, I intend to do so. I can only imagine after a national election, your phones are probably ringing calls from all over. But, specifically dealing with the issue, my call remains the same. It didn't matter to me who was in the White House. I've been consistent on my calls since 2023, if not earlier, that New York City and other big cities should not be picking up the cost of a national problem.

And we need a decompression strategy at the border to make sure that we take control of this crisis and not have this crisis take control of us. There's great opportunities if we give people the right to work, and I remain calling for that, as my immigration national leaders have been calling for and who commended this administration for calling that, and my fellow mayors are calling for the same thing. We've been consistent in this. The coalition has been the same.

Question: Is there any common ground, Mr. Mayor, between your position on the migrants and what you think the city needs and what you think President Trump would be willing to deliver to the city in terms of help?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think that that is what First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer was saying, that right now as the elections are over, and it's about governing now, and it's about not taking this posture of that we're not going to communicate with Washington, D.C. Just the opposite. We're going to communicate with Washington, D.C., just as we attempted to communicate with the previous administration on our 10 trips to Washington to talk about the impact of migrants and asylum seekers, and just as we talked about public safety in 2021 when I was the incoming mayor. I've been very consistent on these working people issues that impact our cities, and I'm going to continue to do that. It's not going to change.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. So just a little bit of a follow-up on that. Would you rather see a decompression strategy or do you rather see more funding?

Would you rather see some of the migrants moved out of some of these shelters and maybe to other states, or would you like to see the federal government maybe cut you a check?

Mayor Adams: I want to see the federal government fix a federal problem. This is a federal problem. I cannot say that enough, and I think a lot of people don't fully appreciate what impact this has had on the city because they weren't up every night. They were not dealing with thousands of people coming into the city overnight, having to house them, the pressure of finding billions of dollars instead of going to those needs that everyday New Yorkers needed. We had to change the direction of those funding. I want the problem solved. A national problem should be solved by a national government.

The mayor of Chicago and Denver and Los Angeles and Houston and New York should not be solving a national problem. So I want it solved. And if the question is asked, Eric, based on the months that you have been doing this, do you have some ideas that I did share with the previous administration? If they're willing to hear my ideas, I'm willing to share them. There's no reason we don't have a decompression strategy at the border. Those who are paroled in go to municipalities where we need populations and allow them to assist those municipalities. We didn't do that. And so I want the problem solved.

Question: Mr. Mayor, President Trump again has said that he would appoint Robert Kennedy to be his health advisor. Robert Kennedy has already said that he's going to ask that fluoride be removed from the water facilities around the country. I wonder, as mayor of the City of New York, did you ask the vast reservoir system that supplies New York City to take fluoride out of the water or would you agree not to do that?

Mayor Adams: I'm not too familiar with the whole conversation around fluoride, what makes it good or bad. We would turn that over, number one, to the state health department and the city department of health and mental hygiene. They're the experts on this. I will lean towards them and see what the city's position should be. But I think it's imperative to allow the experts to make the determination of what we should do with our water supply.

Question: Dental experts have said that this could affect the dental health of children. And since you are the chief executive of New York City, the ultimate decision is with you. What would you do?

Mayor Adams: I will lean on to my experts, as I do in all of these circumstances. I have someone who's in charge of the interim at the department of health and mental hygiene. She'll do an analysis. And if we have the options of if we're going to remove it or not, then we will make that determination based on their finding.

If we don't have that option, then we're going to advocate with our federal partners to say why we shouldn't do so. But let the experts give me the information, as they do in all of my briefings, so I can make the final decision if the decision lies with me. Okay, thank you.

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