Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had a “very productive conversation” with President Joe Biden about the migrant crisis while he was in the Big Apple this week — but provided little optimism that the feds would soon ride to the city’s rescue.
“I talked about our opportunity to help more help, our chance to get more help from the federal government and then I would say it was a very productive conversation,” Hochul said, after publicly getting her latest COVID booster at a New York City CVS.
“It’s premature but, I would say he heard me loud and clear and as everyone knows I’ve been pushing for over a year now to get temporary protective status for Venezuelans [to] allow them to work,” the governor said of the meeting with Biden, who notably snubbed NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
“It will really change the dynamic,” she said, adding, “It will really change the dynamic.”
Around 41% of the migrants who have come to NYC from the southern border are Venezuelans, according to City Hall data released last month.
Hochul has been pushing the White House to expand the temporary protective status for Venezuela asylum seekers since last month with little movement on the federal side.
Venezuelans who arrived before March 2021 are covered by the current designation by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas but those who arrived after are not.
But the governor provided cover to Biden — who just hours earlier singled her out during his remarks at the United Nations General Assembly Leaders’ Reception.
“The president was really attentive to our concerns,” she said, adding, “And it wasn’t the first time I talked to him about it but I feel like it was a very productive conversation.”
Hochul has softened her tone in criticizing the Biden administration in recent weeks after blaming the White House for the mess and calling on them to fix the national issue.
More than 110,000 migrants have entered New York City since spring 2022.
The Big Apple has been overwhelmed by the surge of asylum seekers who need to be housed and fed. The city expects the price tag for their care to reach $12 billion by 2025.
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile