New York City Mayor Eric Adams clapped back at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push to get federal funding to help combat the ongoing illegal migrant crisis, claiming his administration has largely managed the national crisis.
On Thursday, Hochul delivered a public address and emphasized the need to integrate migrants into New York City through work and housing initiatives, even requesting the Biden administration invest heavily in settling the communities of asylum seekers.
“We appreciate Governor Hochul’s acknowledgment of the incredible work that New York City has done to manage the influx of tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the last year, and we are gratified to hear that she is calling for immediate federal action,” Adams said. “Since the spring of 2022, our city has borne the brunt of a national crisis — providing shelter and care for a population greater than the entire city of Albany. Confronted with the unsolicited arrival of more than 104,000 men, women, and children, many of whom went through hell to arrive in this country and are now seeking asylum, the city has already opened 206 emergency shelters — twice as many as we had open four short months ago — and, if things do not change, we’re on track to spend more than $12 billion over three fiscal years.”
Adams continued, saying the status quo cannot continue, as “New York City has largely managed this national crisis…alone”
The national crisis is one Adams said the State has an important role in helping to solve.
Adams noted that he and his administration are “disappointed” that Hochul minimized the role they can play in its response to the immigration crisis, especially since more than 8 million of the state’s residents call NYC home.
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“Whatever differences we all may have about how to handle this crisis, we believe what is crystal clear is that whatever obligations apply under state law to the City of New York apply with equal force to every county across New York State,” the mayor said. “Leaving New York City alone to manage this crisis — and abdicating the state’s responsibility to coordinate a statewide response — is unfair to New York City residents who also didn’t ask to be left almost entirely on their own in the middle of a national crisis.”
Adams also said he and his team have been saying for the past year, they need the federal government to allow asylum seekers to work, so they can provide for themselves and their families.
Along with the ability to work, the mayor has also been looking for decompression strategies at the state and federal level, and for the federal government to declare a state of emergency, so the city can get access to additional resources.
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“And, we are asking the governor to use her powers to prevent counties from issuing exclusionary emergency orders and give us the resources needed to get people out of shelter, so they can move on to the next steps in their journeys,” Adams said.
During Hochul’s address, she acknowledged the migrant crisis started with the federal government and needs to be resolved by the federal government, but added the state’s “countless unfulfilled jobs” are a great opportunity for border crossers to integrate.
Earlier this month, Hochul slammed Adams’ response to the migrant crisis in a 12-page letter sent to the mayor’s office.
Hochul’s lawyer, Faith E. Gay, accused the city of being slow to make timely requests for regulatory changes or inform the state of crucial decisions.
