Eric Adams Warns New York City May Have To Slash Programs To Accommodate Migrants
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday that the city may need to slash some public services to accommodate the expected influx of thousands of migrants as Title 42 expires.
Title 42, a Trump-era policy, is set to expire Wednesday. The policy was put in place in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and restricted migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. President Joe Biden extended the policy, but a judge recently ruled against it.
“We have been told in no uncertain terms that, beginning today, we should expect an influx of busses coming from the border and that more than 1,000 additional asylum seekers will arrive in New York City every week. We are in urgent need for help, and it’s time for our state and federal partners to act — especially those in Congress who refuse to provide the financial resources or issue temporary work authorizations necessary for these individuals to live properly.”
“Our requests for assistance has been mostly ignored,” Adams continued. “This can’t continue.”
Adams said the city needs both state and federal aid.
“Our shelter system is full, and we are nearly out of money, staff and space. Truth be told, if corrective measures are not taken soon, we may very well be forced to cut or curtail programs New Yorkers rely on, and the pathway to house thousands more is uncertain,” Adams said. “These are not choices we want to make, but they may become necessary, and I refuse to be forced to choose new arrivals over current New Yorkers. I’ll say it again — we need a plan, we need assistance, and we need it now.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 19: Tent shelters built on New York City’s Randall’s Island for recently arrived migrants stand in an open lot on October 19, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
City taxpayers are expected to drop $1 billion in annual spending through 2026 in order to cover housing, education, food and other expenditures for migrants, according to the “State of the City’s Economy and Finances” report.
The border has already seen record-high migrant influxes. Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector are stopping 2,460 migrants daily on average, according to ABC News.
