Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on CNN's 'The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer'

January 3, 2024

Wolf Blitzer: Let's get back to the breaking news. The U.S. Justice Department is suing Texas over its strict new immigration law. Joining us now to discuss this and more, the New York City mayor, Eric Adams. Mayor, thanks very much for joining us. I want to get your reaction to this new suit against Texas over its very controversial new immigration law. What's your reaction?

Mayor Eric Adams: Extremely pleased that D.C. is taking this action, the White House is taking this action. It's so important to send a very clear and loud message to the governor of Texas who is just really aggressively attempting to destabilize our cities. And I think this action is extremely appropriate.

But it's also crucial - and I need to say this - that it is a national problem, and all of these cities need help from the national government. A decompression strategy, funding, making sure we allow people to work and pursue the American dream. And so kudos to this important lawsuit that they put in place, but we still need the national government to solve this national problem.

Blitzer: As you know, mayor, Texas is now changing its strategy, dropping migrants off in New Jersey, not far from New York City, in order to evade new restrictions you imposed on busing coming into New York. Have you been outsmarted by the Texas Governor Greg Abbott?

Mayor Adams: No. Anyone who has a diabolical mind will do diabolical things to just treat people in an inhumane way. We handled over 164,000 migrants and asylum seekers, and we're doing it in a humane way. We're very clear that we're going to continue to adjust as the governor of Texas carries out these actions to make sure that we send a very clear and loud message: no bus company should be participating in this action. And we're going to communicate with our partners in this region and make sure that we tell them they should file the same level of executive order to stop this from taking place.

Blitzer: I know you've called the Texas Governor Greg Abbott a bully for his handling of these migrants who cross the border from Mexico into Texas. A spokesperson for him, for the governor, accuses you of hypocrisy, saying you, too, have bussed migrants north away from New York City. How do you respond?

Mayor Adams: Well, it's totally inaccurate. We have… We're fixing the problem that he created. There are many people who came to New York City who wanted to go to other municipalities, and they didn't have any other choice. Governor Abbott made it clear, he was going to target cities like Chicago, Denver, New York, and just on the inauguration day of the Philadelphia mayor, he sent a planeload there.

So, he's targeting cities, and that's a big difference from asking people what are their destinations and reticketing them where they can go where they have families, friends or other systems to support them. That is what we're doing, and we will continue to do so.

Blitzer: What more do you need from the White House, mayor? How critical is it, for example, that the stalled bill in Congress right now that includes $14 billion for border security gets funded, because this is not cheap for New York City.

Mayor Adams: No, it's not. And it's not cheap for all the cities. And I want to be clear. As a mayor of one of the largest, "the" largest city in America, I'm not speaking only on behalf of my citizens here. I'm speaking on behalf of those cities such as Brownsville, El Paso, Chicago, Boston. No mayor should have to deal with the crisis of this magnitude.

Last week, we had 3,000 migrant and asylum seekers who arrived here. There's some weeks we get anywhere from 3,900 to 4,000. Just do the math. Handling those levels of migrants and asylum seekers, it's just not sustainable. And we know we need those dollars to come in, $5 billion budget deficit this fiscal year, $12 billion over three years. It's going to hurt low income New Yorkers, and this is wrong for those New Yorkers as well as migrants and asylum seekers should not be placed in this condition.

Blitzer: Before I let you go, mayor, a very quick question on a very different subject. I want to ask you about this federal investigation, as you know, into your political campaign. The FBI seized your cell phones and iPad in November as part of a probe looking into illegal contributions to your campaign. Have you received a target letter from federal investigators?

Mayor Adams: We made that clear before, no we have not. Listen, our federal agencies, our state agencies, our city agencies, I'm a former law enforcement officer. If inquiries are made, we must cooperate with those inquiries, and that's what I have done as stated I would do over and over again.

I do not break laws. I did not spend 22 years enforcing the law to break a law. And whatever information and cooperation they need from me, I'm going to do that. And I'm fully transparent in making sure that we can get to the bottom of any accusation that is made.

Blitzer: The New York City mayor, Eric Adams. Thank you so much for joining us.

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