New York City officials are slamming President Joe Biden for his handling of the migrant crisis, which has swarmed the city and could have drastic effects on local elections.
Local leaders claimed there were three people responsible for the influx of more than 100,000 immigrants since last spring; Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), and the president.
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"There are three people that bear the brunt of responsibility for this problem. One lives at Pennsylvania Avenue down in Washington. The other lives on Eagle Street, up in Albany, and the third lives in Gracie Mansion," Republican minority leader of the New York City Council Joe Borelli told Fox News. "Those three people have stopped working for the residents of the city and have put their priorities in the hands of those who have come across our border in violation of our law. If you don't believe me, listen to the mayor's own words. We are shifting resources away from public services for New Yorkers to serve this population."
The criticism comes as the mayor attempts to secure work permits for adult immigrants, which would consequently give them the power to work for local businesses that would help take some of the burden off the city and allow them to vote in city elections.
The voting power comes from a city law that was passed in 2021. It allows noncitizens to vote locally if they legally have a job and have been a resident of the city for more than 30 days.
"I think work permits that are state authorized is a very, very bad idea," GOP Assemblymember Michael Tannousis said. "But I want to stress one thing. They have to put pressure on President Biden to take control of the border. We are in a situation where the sink is overflowing, and instead of closing the faucet, we keep spending money buying buckets. It is going to lead to nowhere good. It needs to be taken care of."
Adams and Hochul have both attempted to put pressure on the federal government to send more aid to New York City, and Adams is also seeking additional state resources. Adams has predicted the migrant crisis will cost the city $12 billion by 2025 if the flow of immigrants remains the same. The city is currently seeing an influx of 10,000 immigrants every month, which it needs to provide housing and resources for, according to state law.
The mayor announced a budget cut of 5% across all city agencies over the weekend. The cut includes a decrease in funding for overtime pay for the New York Police Department despite a shortage of police officers.
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“We are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis involving asylum-seekers, a crisis that will cost our city $12 billion over three fiscal years,” Adams said in a speech on Saturday. “While our compassion is limitless, our resources are not. New Yorkers are angry and frustrated, and they're right to be. I am too. I want to be clear these tough decisions are a direct result of inactions in Washington and in Albany.
"The dye is not yet cast," Adams continued. "We can still avoid these cuts if Washington and Albany do their part by paying their fair share and coming up with a decompression strategy that reduces the pressure on New York City so we are not forced to manage this crisis almost entirely on our own."