New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took bold action on his first day in office by signing an executive order that revokes all executive orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams since his indictment.
Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s mayor on Thursday and promptly signed several executive orders. Among them was one that rescinds all orders issued by Adams from September 26, 2024, onward, The Hill reported. His first executive order states:
“All Executive Orders issued on or after September 26, 2024, and in effect on December 31, 2025, are hereby revoked.”
“That was a date that marked a moment when many New Yorkers decided politics held nothing for them,” Mamdani explained.
### Background on Adams’ Indictment
Eric Adams made history as the first New York mayor to be indicted by the Justice Department. He was accused of accepting money from Turkey to facilitate the establishment of a Turkish consulate in the city. However, the DOJ under the Trump administration dropped the case last February.
### Housing Crisis Initiatives
In addition to revoking Adams’s orders, Mamdani also signed three new executive orders addressing New York City’s housing crisis. Two of these create task forces aimed at speeding up housing developments across the city.
### Reversing Key Policies: BDS and Antisemitism Definition
One of the Adams-era executive orders that Mamdani revoked prohibited city agencies from divesting from Israel. Another expanded the city’s definition of antisemitism to align with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, which has been criticized for classifying some forms of criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), supported Mamdani’s decision. She said Adams’s orders “adopted a flawed and far too broad definition of antisemitism, and prohibited city agencies from boycotting Israel.”
Lieberman further added, “That order violated New York City’s sanctuary laws, served no legitimate public safety purpose, and was a gift to the Trump administration’s cruel deportation agenda.”
### Banning ICE from Rikers Island
Another significant reversal was Mamdani’s rescinding of an order that allowed federal immigration authorities (ICE) into the Rikers Island jail complex. Lieberman praised this move, emphasizing its importance in protecting New York’s sanctuary policies.
Despite criticism suggesting that illegal immigrants in Rikers are “the worst of the worst,” Mamdani and the NYCLU stand firm on opposing federal immigration enforcement within city facilities.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s executive actions signal a clear shift in New York City’s political landscape, seeking to undo several controversial policies from the Adams administration and prioritize housing, civil liberties, and sanctuary protections.
https://www.independentsentinel.com/nyc-mayor-mamdani-canceled-mayor-adams-orders-on-bds-ice/