Trump Administration Pledges Support to NYC Subway Crackdown During High-Profile Visit
NEW YORK – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited New York City on Friday to assess the troubled subway system firsthand, following his recent call for city leaders to take urgent action on crime and safety in public transit.
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| Duffy and Mayor Adams together in subway |
Mayor Eric Adams joined Duffy for a subway ride on the BQE line from Brooklyn to Manhattan, alongside NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta. The ride marked a symbolic step in the Trump administration’s pledge to assist New York with crime prevention efforts.
"The mayor has been working on a bipartisan effort to get more law enforcement officers into the system to make people feel safe," Duffy told reporters at the Broadway-Lafayette station in lower Manhattan.
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| Duffy addressing the media inside the subway station |
The visit follows a letter Duffy sent to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in which he demanded detailed data on rider assaults, fare evasion, and police presence. In the letter, he warned the city to act swiftly or risk potential federal consequences, including redirected or withheld funding.
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However, Duffy confirmed Friday that no funds have been withheld so far. “You’ll find the Trump administration and the Department of Transportation are great partners with New York,” he said. “Let’s make it beautiful for the riders of the subway system.”
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| Scene showing homeless person or subway condition |
During the trip, Duffy encountered several troubling scenes, including a man lying near a staircase in poor condition. “I don't know if he urinated on himself or defecated, but the mayor needs the tools with law enforcement to take care of people – this is not humane,” he said.
Despite a reported statistical drop in subway crime in early 2025, violent incidents continue to make headlines and unsettle commuters. In January, a man survived being pushed in front of a train at Manhattan’s 18th Street station. The suspect, 23-year-old Kamel Hawkins, was charged with attempted murder. In December, an illegal immigrant allegedly set a woman on fire on a Brooklyn subway, killing her.
Commuters have also taken matters into their own hands. A 69-year-old man reportedly fought off a robbery attempt by migrants, and a 71-year-old woman fended off four teens in an attempted mugging. Last year, former Marine Daniel Penny was acquitted in the 2023 chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man with mental health issues who allegedly threatened passengers.
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| Crime-related image or police patrolling subway |
“I was sharing with the Secretary [that] the cause we're having in Albany [is] involuntary movement,” said Adams, who recently announced plans to run for re-election as an independent. “Homeless individuals need care, or the support we need from our state lawmakers to see [police] carry out on the ground.”
The Hochul administration and MTA have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Both Duffy and Adams indicated their administrations would continue working together to address transit safety, potentially sidelining state involvement in the process.
“Albany has to think deeply about how far we have to go to stop [crime],” Duffy said. “That’s more resources, more tools that Albany has to give [the NYPD] to arrest people. [The federal government] gives a lot of money, and for us, we’re partners in the process.”
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