Two city-approved “safe” drug injection sites could be forced to close under a new executive order issued by President Trump, which rips the facilities, where addicts can use illegal drugs like meth, heroin and cocaine under supervision.
Trump’s July 24 “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” order says the feds should only fund “evidence-based programs” and not fund “so-called harm reduction or safe consumption efforts,” which he says “only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) hailed Trump’s edict.
“I urge the Department of Justice to take immediate action and shut down these centers and put to an end once and for all their operations,” Malliotakis said.
Back in January 2021, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia previously ruled “it is a federal crime to open a supervised injection site or ‘consumption room’ for illegal drug use,” overruling the District Court for the Eastern District decision.
Earlier this year, Malliotakis reintroduced her legislation — the Defund Heroin Injection Centers Act of 2025 — which would put into law Trump’s executive order and permanently block federal funding for injection sites or “illicit operations.”
In February, she urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to close the two city injection sites operated by OnPointNYC. The two injection sites in the city are in East Harlem and Washington Heights.
The injection sites were launched in November 2021 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city Health Department under former President Joe Biden — and continued under Mayor Eric Adams..
In 2023, then-Manhattan US attorney Damian Williams, warned Mayor Eric Adams’ administration that the two sites were illegal — but no action was taken to shutter the facilities
The city Health Department defended the injection sites Tuesday as a life saver.
“Syringe service programs play an invaluable role in New York City’s successful efforts to prevent and reduce overdose deaths and have been proven effective — evident by the fact that the city saw the lowest number of overdose deaths in four years at the end of last year,” a Health Department spokesperson said.
“Since the 1980s, syringe service programs have reduced the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C and prevented countless deaths, while providing on-ramps to broader care. We all want a healthier and safer city but closing the doors to these programs will only further isolate the New Yorkers who rely on these services.”
Mayor Adams also previously expressed support for opening more locations.
OnPointNYC also has defended the program as a life saver by intervening in overdoses of users.
But Malliotakis said government-sanctioned injection sites are destructive — to individuals and the surrounding community.
“Since 2021, New York City has allowed two illegal drug injection sites to remain open, and it’s time to shut down these illegal facilities to protect public safety and the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” Malliotakis said.
“I thank President Trump for his executive order addressing homelessness and to end federal funding for all heroin injection sites — the very action my legislation would make permanent.”
Trump’s executive order also expands civil commitment procedures for individuals on the streets or in the subway with serious mental illness who pose risks to themselves or others.
It also prioritizes federal grants for jurisdictions that enforce prohibitions on open drug use and ends support for “housing first” policies that fail to promote treatment and recovery.
