Adams administration ‘scenario planning’ as Trump’s new ‘border czar’ Tom Homan vows sanctuary city crackdown

Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said his administration was "scenario planning" for changes coming down the pike once President-elect Donald Trump takes office — after the incoming "border czar" vowed to crack down on sanctuary cities .

Adams defended Gotham's sanctuary policy as "the law of the city," but acknowledged the US immigration system needs to be "fixed" and said he'd be willing to work with the incoming Trump administration on the issue.

"The voters are stating, 'We need to secure our borders, we need to make sure cities are not experiencing what New York City experienced'," Adams told reporters Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

"I'm willing to sit down with this administration like I tried to sit down with the previous administration," he said.

Adams also stopped short of predicting there won't be mass deportations under incoming border czar Tom Homan, who has pledged to deport migrant criminals "with or without" the city's help.

"We are going to do everything that is possible to ensure people are treated in a humane way," he said.

"I'm not a supporter of mass deportation, I'm a supporter of making sure our border is secure," Adams added.

"As these situations come up we will address them ... we will continue to do what the spirit of our laws are, our city is a sanctuary city," he said, adding that he didn't want people to have to "hide in the shadows" due to their immigration status.

Adams said his administration will be reaching out to Homan, and that city agencies will work toward getting "clarity on what we can and can't do" when it comes to migrants.

"It's part of our scenario planning on how we can address whatever is coming out of Washington, DC. DC cannot keep kicking the can down the road and to cities," he said.

Pressed on concrete examples for how the administration is coping with the crisis — which has gripped the city since spring 2022 — Adams emphasized the need to expedite "right to work" programs which allow migrants to earn a paycheck, particularly in industries "hurting" from a lack of workers like construction and the food industry.

However he didn't offer a blanket endorsement of the throngs of unknown individuals walking the streets while availing themselves of local services.

"We need to secure our borders so we don't have anyone coming in without the proper background check — who they are, where they're coming from," he said.

"People should not be coming if they are here to hurt everyday New Yorkers."

Reactions to Homan's ascendance among City Council members were mixed, with some welcoming the feds' intervention and others defending the Big Apple's sanctuary policy.

"Give Mr. Homan the help he needs to clean up the mess created by Washington," Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) told The Post.

Councilwoman Kristy Marmorato (R-Bronx) said she was pleased with the Trump administration's choice of border czar, and also took a dim view of the city's current policy toward lawbreaking migrants.

"It's about time we're addressing the border crisis with a border czar who will take action," she told The Post.

"Being a sanctuary city has become a financial burden and a major public safety crisis," she said, adding, "If you come to this country and commit any types of crimes, you do not deserve to be here."

Councilwoman Althea Stevens (D-Bronx), however, defended the Big Apple's sanctuary city status, saying it's a humanitarian necessity.

"I'm appalled we have leaders in our country who would label sanctuary cities as 'un-American' when in fact, cities like New York are exemplifying core humanitarian principles while tirelessly working to protect and support vulnerable individuals, many of whom seek refuge from insanity."

One Democratic lawmaker who asked to remain anonymous offered a particularly blunt assessment.

"We should work with anyone that wants to come here for a better life, but those who come here to commit crimes need to get the f–k out."