Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Friday that the election of President-elect Donald Trump "pushed" New York City Mayor Eric Adams "to do the right thing" on immigration.
Adams on Thursday met with Tom Homan, Trump's incoming border czar, and said after the meeting that he and Homan have "the same goal" on immigration.
Malliotakis said on "Wake Up America" that "it was the election of President Trump that obviously made all the difference and has pushed Eric Adams to do the right thing."
She also hit out at Adams over his vow to issue an executive order to amend the city's sanctuary laws, saying she urged him to issue a similar executive order two years ago and noting that "federal law obviously supersedes city law, and he should be cooperating with ICE" already.
Malliotakis said Adams "did not do that this entire time, and he did not cooperate with the hundred or so detainer requests he was receiving every year from ICE."
She added, "And obviously, those are the worst of the worst people who are probably wanted for murder, for rape, for real heinous crimes in their home country. And still in that situation, Eric Adams did not comply, even though New York City sanctuary law allows them to comply when it is for a violent offender or for a sex offender."
Malliotakis compared Adams to former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying, "I remember fighting Bill de Blasio to get sex offenders included on the list of which New York City could comply with ICE, so why hasn't [Adams] done what he could do in his capacity today?"
She said, "Why do you have to wait for the Trump administration to come in and show him the way?"
Malliotakis also dismissed Adams' comment last week that he could switch his party affiliation back to the GOP, of which he was a member from 1995 until 2002, saying that the mayor has "a long way to go before we view him as a Republican."
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