As New York City was inundated with asylum seekers bused from the border last year, Mayor Eric Adams cast blame on the Republican governors of Texas, Arizona and Florida.

But when the cost to feed and house the migrants quickly escalated, Mr. Adams shifted his ire to the federal government, pressing for more emergency aid, and to allow asylum seekers to work legally.

On Wednesday, Mr. Adams delivered his harshest criticism yet, singling out President Biden, an ally who has placed Mr. Adams on a national advisory board for his re-election campaign.

“The president and the White House have failed New York City on this issue,” Mayor Adams said during a news conference at City Hall, mentioning Mr. Biden by name.

Mr. Adams, who has said it could cost the city as much as $4 billion to feed and house the migrants over the next few years, urged the president to provide the city with funding, and to allow the arriving migrants work authorizations.

More on Migrants in New York

New York City has always welcomed and depended on immigrants. But a new wave of people crossing the U.S. border is testing the city’s reputation as a world sanctuary.

“This is one of the largest humanitarian crises that this city has ever experienced. It will impact every service in the city,” Mr. Adams said. “Why isn’t every elected official in Washington, D.C., asking the national government, ‘why are you doing this to New York?’”

The mayor’s remarks were curiously timed: He is scheduled to meet with federal officials in Washington on Thursday to discuss the migrant issue.

Mr. Adams said the looming expiration of Title 42, a public-health rule that allowed the Trump and Biden administrations to expel migrants and prevent them from seeking asylum at the border, is expected to increase the flow of migrants to the city.

Officials say that more than 55,000 people seeking asylum have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022. Close to 35,000 are being housed by the city and are receiving services.

To deal with the influx, New York has opened more than 100 emergency shelters, and eight Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers. In March, Mr. Adams announced a new 24-hour center to welcome migrants, as well as the creation of a new agency to help coordinate the arrival of asylum seekers.

A White House statement released after Mr. Adams’s comments noted that the administration is “proud of our partnership with Mayor Adams and the significant investments we’ve made in New York City.”

New York City is expected to receive a large chunk of the $800 million that the federal government has set aside to help localities getting an influx of asylum seekers. New York State has also pledged $1 billion over the next two fiscal years.

The White House statement added that some asylum seekers are eligible for work authorization under expanded programs, and the Temporary Protected Status granted to certain groups of immigrants, adding that congressional action on immigration reform was the only way to “reform and modernize our decades-old immigration laws.”

The criticism of President Biden comes as the mayor is trying to gain approval for his $100 billion-plus budget. Mr. Adams has come under criticism for cuts to schools and libraries, and for what critics see as a lack of investment in affordable housing and mental health services.

Advocates for the homeless have called on the city to use the influx of migrant seekers to fix longstanding problems with the city’s shelter system, like the 90-day requirement of being in a shelter, before getting permanent housing.

Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, a co-chairwoman of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus and chairwoman of the Immigration Committee, said she agrees with the mayor that the Biden administration must speed up work authorizations for migrants. But she cautioned that the city must not demonize asylum seekers.

“I think it is a real mistake for this mayor to navigate welcoming asylum seekers as a crisis instead of focusing his attention on building an infrastructure that says, New York City is a safe city for you and a sanctuary city for all of us,” Ms. Hanif said.

Source: Read Full Article