Mayor of New York City Eric Adams issued an urgent aid petition to the state on Friday, warning the cost of processing asylum seekers coming at the southern border is reaching $2 billion.
This is double what his administration had planned for. He described the federal government’s lack of responsiveness to the issue as immoral and irresponsible.
new: NYC has made an “emergency mutual aid request” to New York State for help sheltering arriving asylum seekers this weekend, Mayor Eric Adams says.
“We are at our breaking point,” Adams says, noting he’s requested shelter for an estimated 500 asylum seekers, which could go up pic.twitter.com/cvboKosUny
— Andrew Giambrone (@AndrewGiambrone) January 13, 2023
Adams stated on a radio program on Friday that the inflow is straining local services to the snapping point and forcing difficult fiscal considerations.
Breaking Point
In an interview on Caribbean Power Jam Radio on Friday, he stated the demand on their infrastructure is enormous. He cannot estimate the effect this is having on their ability to deliver services to New Yorkers.
40,000 migrants have arrived in the five boroughs since last year, many requiring homes, education, and social assistance. According to City Hall, the city received almost 3,000 asylum applicants in the last week, including a record 835 in one day.
After winter storms, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis bused migrants to New York and Chicago. Once Adams and Lightfoot criticized him, he halted bringing charter buses east.
Nearly 70,000 people stay in NYC shelters each night. Adams said Friday that the city intends to care for 100,000 refugees and homeless New Yorkers.
11,000 migrant children attend public schools. Adams increased his projections from last week to $1.5 billion to $2 billion for these initiatives. He warned without federal and state funding, other budget sectors would suffer.
Adams stated on the radio program that every service in the city would be affected, which is brutal of the federal government. It is irresponsible that there has been no national severe reaction to the situation at their border.
The mayor demanded a new plan to reduce border crossings and monetary support, which has thus far arrived in small amounts.
The city has gotten $8 million from FEMA and $2 million from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but already committed $366 million since December.
In light of this, the mayor submitted an emergency help request to Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday.
Statement
In a statement released Friday evening, Hochul’s office said it was trying to assist the city in meeting its demands, adding the state already sent more than 900 personnel from the National Guard and gave assistance to asylum seekers.
This is what happens when clowns like radical feminist Kathy Hochul and Eric Adams allow millions of illegal immigrants to roam unchecked, have babies, and commit crimes. #BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/IL6bsYJiMk
— Jay Davis 🇺🇸 (@HouseGuards) January 8, 2023
Governor Hochul will continue to collaborate with Mayor Adams to aid the city with refugees, according to a statement from her office; they are considering the city’s recent requests.
The statement added that local and state governments cannot continue to carry this load; the federal government must do more to aid communities and address the situation holistically.
Adams stated the city’s original request for housing for 500 asylum seekers would likely increase.
The day before, Adams was criticized for concealing the full expense of asylum seekers in his annual budget plan. The budget plan allocates $1 billion through June for welfare workers.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
