A recent poll found that a majority of Democrats in New York State rate the ongoing migrant crisis as a serious issue. The news comes after New York City accepted more than 100,000 migrants, sparking a budget and housing crisis in the Big Apple.
A recently released Siena College poll found that 75% of Democrats in New York describe the migrant issue as a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem. This included 47% who described it as a “very serious” concern.
Overall, 55% of voters describe the migrant crisis as a major concern. Overall, 82% called the current situation a somewhat or very serious issue. This included 95% of Republicans.
75% of NY Dems say recent influx of migrants to the state is a "serious" problem.
About half say it's "very serious" and agree w/ statement that state has "already done enough for new migrants and should now work to slow the flow of migrants to New York."
(via @SienaResearch) pic.twitter.com/A3A4hpdpXM
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 20, 2023
When asked about the status of the migrants, 64% of all New Yorkers agreed with the statement that the state had “already done enough for new migrants and should now work to slow the flow of migrants.”
Only 29% agreed with the statement that the state should “accept new migrants.”
Among those who agreed that the state should slow the flow of migrants were 53% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans. Of those who were self-described ‘liberals,’ 41% agreed with the statement.
The migrant crisis has acutely affected New York City’s budget. Both the city and state requested additional funds from Washington to help manage the flow of migrants. New York City even began busing migrants to other locations across the state.
Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced significant cuts to all agencies within the city’s government.
The 5% across-the-board cut comes as New York has spent almost $1.5 billion on migrants in the 2023 fiscal year. The city expects to spend almost $11 billion on the issue over the next two years.
The mayor said that in order to balance the budget, “every city agency dug into their own budget to find savings, with minimal disruption to services.”
“And while we pulled it off this time, make no mistake: Migrant costs are going up, tax revenue growth is slowing and COVID stimulus funding is drying up,” he added.
