New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) made an apparent about-face regarding illegal immigration this week. The mayor of the self-declared sanctuary city described dramatic potential effects of increased migration to the Big Apple as the city struggles after receiving approximately 100,000 illegal immigrants since last year.
During a town hall event Wednesday, Adams told a Manhattan audience that the issue “will destroy New York City, destroy New York City. We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month.”
“Let me tell you something New Yorkers: Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this. I don’t see an ending to this,” he said.
He further said that the scope of migrants is expanding, along with the sheer number. Rather than just receiving migrants from Venezuela, he said that the city is now receiving illegal immigrants from Ecuador, West Africa and Russia.
He said, “now we’re getting people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they’re going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City.”
“And everyone is saying, ‘It’s New York City’s problem.’ Every community in this city is going to be impacted,” the mayor said. “We have a $12 billion deficit that we’re going to have to cut every service in this city is going to be impacted.”
“All of us,” he said.
BREAKING: Mayor Adams basically conceding New York City is done because of illegal immigration and warns New Yorkers illegals will flood ALL neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/Lj5E3BSvDX
— nycphotog (@nycphotog) September 7, 2023
The city has seen an increased tempo of protests regarding the current migrant crisis. New York has attempted to house the migrants in a number of facilities, including a former airfield and a number of the city’s hotels.
Prior to Adams’ most recent comments, he and other city officials have described the situation in New York as nearing a breaking point.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently requested additional assistance from the White House, saying that state and city governments had taken on a disproportionate burden in handling the influx of migrants.
The city has also been sending a number of migrants to surrounding locations.
