Adams: Migrant Crush 'Will Destroy New York City'

Deficit could near $12B, mayor says, meaning service cuts across the board
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 7, 2023 4:06 PM CDT
Mayor Says Influx of Migrants 'Will Destroy New York City'
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to media during the West Indian Day Parade on Monday in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.   (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York City's mayor has painted a bleak and alarming portrait of the strain caused by the presence of more than 100,000 migrants his government is trying to provide for, saying there's no solution in sight. "I don't see an ending to this," Eric Adams told a town hall-type event in Manhattan on Wednesday night. "This issue will destroy New York City." As he has before, he referred to unfulfilled requests he's made of the federal and state governments, the New York Times reports. "We're getting no support on this national crisis," he said. Adams' remarks were endorsed by some Republicans and criticized by some Democrats.

The latest projections show the city's deficit could near $12 billion, Adams said, which is what officials say the immigrants cost New York over three years. That means spending cuts are ahead, the mayor told the gathering. "Every community in this city is going to be impacted," he said, adding, "every service in this city is going to be impacted. All of us." Public schools started up again Thursday, and the city anticipates about 20,000 migrant children will enroll. The migrants are arriving in New York from Venezuela, Ecuador, and West Africa, and Russian speakers are coming through Mexico, per WABC.

Adams has called for a federal emergency to be declared, and he wants work authorizations expedited so migrants can get jobs legally and not rely on the social safety net. As he has criticized them, White House officials and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have found fault with Adams' handling of the crisis. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed with Adams' assessment. "Mayor Adams is right," he said. "New York City deserves better." Saying, "The city we knew, we're about to lose," Adams appealed for unity in addressing the migrants' situation. "We are all in this together, all of us," the mayor said. "Staten Island is saying send them out to Manhattan, Manhattan is saying send them out to Queens, Queens is saying send them out to Brooklyn." (More New York City stories.)

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