The New York Post reported yesterday that only 2,000 migrants in New York City have secured employment under the city’s Workforce1 program.
Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly said that the easiest way to alleviate the migrant crisis is to give them jobs but when only about half of those reached out to respond to the inquiry, it’s clear that strategy won’t work.
The blame here falls not on the unemployed migrants but on the leftist city officials who created this situation in the first place. Our open border is the root problem, but the crux is that these migrants don’t have much reason to even seek employment in the first place.
Human beings respond to incentives. So when illegal immigrants move to New York City and immediately receive prepaid credit cards, housing, and clothing, it’s easy to see why the 65,000 of them under the city’s watch aren’t exactly jumping at employment opportunities.
That’s not to mention that many of them actually are employed, but only illegally.
The New York Post reported in September that many migrants are working via the illegal underground gig economy in the city. Those gig jobs most often include food delivery, construction, and housekeeping roles.
This under-the-table employment takes jobs away from American citizens who do want to work legally. It used to be that if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could get ahead. But under Adams’s disastrous leadership, those who cut corners are rewarded while well-meaning people are left picking up the scraps.
Implicit within the migrants’ lack of desire to work is another deterrent. Formal, legal employment requires paperwork. At the time of the Washington Post’s reporting in September, only 800 of the 40,000 adult migrants living in the five boroughs had even filed for federal work permits.
That’s odd, though, because the Left’s line has always been that we should actually want these illegal immigrants because they’ll help boost our economy. Did you not know that their contributions will enhance productivity and increase economic output?
It’s difficult to see where that positive impact will come from when only 2% of the migrants in New York City are even seeking legal employment.
The Left’s economic argument for open borders operates under the assumption that every migrant will find a job. That could not be further from the truth, and it’s the American public that has to incur the negative externalities of this objectively illogical line of reasoning.
What incentive do you have to work when you’re given cash for free? Why would someone work hard to purchase items they need when stealing from a local store is far easier?
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What the Left has done to our cities is equal parts tragic and absurd. The undocumented nature of these migrants makes it incredibly difficult to track their whereabouts. Fifty nonprofit organizations have been funded by the city to assist in providing jobs for them. Those resources could be allocated toward people who were actually born here and are citizens. We should have more concern for the homeless and drug-addicted people who are left out on the street while illegal immigrants are put up in swanky hotels.
The moral madness of the far Left never ceases to amaze.