New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) sounded the alarm about the severe strain the recent wave of asylum seekers placed on the city, including what he sees as inaction by the Biden White House.
The city’s mayor blamed many of the city’s current problems on the worsening migrant crisis.
The mayor was blunt, stating that the “city is being destroyed by the migrant crisis.”
Mayor Eric Adams says Biden’s migrant crisis has ‘destroyed’ NYC https://t.co/sNmpL2f7RB pic.twitter.com/EnVTiFYE6h
— New York Post (@nypost) April 21, 2023
The mayor sounded the alarm during a panel discussion. He added that other New York City officials have not attempted to seek help, saying that “none of my folks came to Washington D.C. to fight” for resources that will “undermine every agency in the city.”
Adams also attacked the Biden White House’s approach to the current crisis. Adams said that the White House “turned its back” on the needs of the city.
Adams cited the city’s pending $4.2 billion budget deficit, saying that “every service in this city is going to be impacted by the asylum seeker crisis.” He added that the “president of the United States can give us the ability to allow people to work.”
The mayor said that the current crisis is “in the lap of the executive branch.”
Adams cited federal rules that prevent migrants from legally working during their first six months in the city.
The city has seen more than 55,000 such migrants in the past year, approximately 200 per day. Each migrant household costs the city $380 to care for them, with many being housed in hotels.
Adams said that the federal government offers nothing to the city even as the cost of care and education racks up.
Furthermore, the Title 42 policy enacted during the pandemic allowed Washington to swiftly deport migrants.
With the pandemic formally ending next month, the number of migrants in the city could double, Adams said.
He added that the situation “does this great city a disservice and we’re calling on the Biden-Harris administration, the United States Department of Homeland Security, they must use all tools that are available to resolve this issue.”
In addition, some states that see the most migrant crossings, such as Texas and Florida, have been sending migrants northward over the last several years. In particular, these land or sea border states will pay for flights and bus tickets for illegal immigrants out of their locales.
