New York's mayor shares a grim message as his city struggles to manage migrants

In grim remarks Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams admitted the Biden administration has abandoned him amid the migrant crisis.

The remarks came a day after he traveled to Washington, DC to meet with White House officials and congressional leaders to ask for more money to deal with New York's expanding immigration crisis.

“As you know, yesterday I was in Washington DC to meet with our congressional leaders and to meet with the White House. And I wanted to take the opportunity to the White House celebration for the holiday season because I knew that I would have the meeting of legislators or mayors from all over the country and I was able to talk to the mayor of Chicago and leaders of Massachusetts and others. ” He said.

“And we're seeing the same thing across the country. Our residents are tired, our residents are angry, our residents are seeing the impact of the migrant and asylum seeker problem, how the resources that should go to the day-to-day services of city management,” he said. added

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But tragically, he continued, there is no cavalry coming to save the day for him or any other mayor facing a migration crisis.

“We didn't leave DC with any level of optimism that anything was going to change dramatically. It is clear that, for the time being, this crisis will be borne by the cities“, explained.

He went on to talk about the budget cuts the city is currently facing due to the migrant crisis.

“Here in New York City, as you know, we had a very painful November plan that we had to produce, and now we're waiting for direction on how to address a $7 billion budget deficit that we have to address in January.” , he said.

“And these men and women behind me who are service providers in one way or another, they see first hand what they do and they will make these cuts. This is not the budget we want to pass. The budget we wanted to pass clearly invested in children and families and those in need. At the moment we are facing an unsustainable situation,” he added.

Adams also addressed a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday that found his approval rating at just 28 percent, the lowest ever for a New York City mayor, suggesting it's the fault of the Biden administration.

Nearly 60 percent of registered local voters said they disapproved of Adams' job performance, compared to 28 percent who said they approved.https://t.co/1ACfUMMusS

— WNYC (@WNYC) December 6, 2023

“[The migrant crisis] it is painful for us. It's painful for the city. And I think you see that reflected in the polls. It is because the actions of our federal government have affected the people of this city,” he said.

“We will continue to do our job in this administration, but these are extremely difficult times. And when I left Washington DC, I didn't leave with optimism, I left with the cold reality that there is no help in the immediate future. At this point it will depend of New Yorkers and of this administration to continue to navigate this challenge that we face. Well. Thank you,” he concluded.

The only good news for Adams is that the same Quinnipiac poll that found his approval rating low also found that most New Yorkers share his concerns about the migrant crisis.

“The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that 85 percent of New York City voters are very concerned or somewhat concerned that the city will not be able to accommodate the increase in migrants who have sought refuge in the city. Municipal officials have been sounding the alarm about the migrant crisis for months, warning that they do not have the resources to meet the demand.” the hill reported on Wednesday.

“Additionally, 62 percent of voters said they agreed with New York Mayor Eric Adams' September statement that an influx of migrants will 'destroy' the city. Another 33 percent said they disagreed,” the outlet added.

What is not clear is why New Yorkers also blame Adams for the migrant crisis when he is as frustrated as they are and when he is making legitimate efforts to drive migrants out of the city.

For example, in October he had the city set up a “ticket recovery center” where migrants could pick up a free one-way plane ticket to any destination of their choice.

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here: New York sets up 'immigrant entry recovery center' https://t.co/jXZHowANHx road @BIZPACRevision

— Based on BPR (@DumpstrFireNews) October 28, 2023

“With no sign of a decompression strategy in the near future, we have established a re-entry center for migrants. Here, the city will redouble efforts to purchase tickets for migrants to help them take the next steps in their trips,” City spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak said in a statement at the time.

It was a desperate move designed to ease the stress on the city from the influx of so many migrants over the past two months. But it was also designed to help migrants reach their family members before winter hits and they get stuck on the streets.

“I can't say it enough. You know, we're out of the room. And it's not 'if' people are going to sleep on the streets, it's when. We're at full capacity,” Adams told reporters at the time.

“When you're out of the room, it means you're out of the room. Every year, my relatives show up for Thanksgiving and they all want to sleep over at my house. There's no more room. Here's where we are now”, he added.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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