Topline
New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency Friday as the city—as well as several other Democrat-led cities including Washington D.C.—grapple with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants bussed from border states in a Republican-led initiative that’s been decried by Democrats as a “political stunt” to bring the immigration crisis north.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) declared a state of emergency Friday in response to an influx of … [+]
Key Facts
Adams directed city officials to create “temporary humanitarian relief centers” for assistance to asylum seekers, including food, medical care and assistance in finding shelter.
The city has already opened 42 shelters for the asylum seekers, according to Adams’ emergency executive order, but those shelters currently have their highest-ever populations — some 61,000 people, according to the order.
The city has already received more than 17,000 migrants who have arrived on buses, primarily from Texas, since April, including 2,896 families with children—and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) and city officials in El Paso have pledged to continue sending migrants out of the state.
In a press conference, Adams announced plans to spend $1 billion in response, and urged the federal and state governments to contribute to fund housing and other services for the migrants, the New York Times reported.
The buses full of migrants typically come unannounced and unscheduled in the early morning or late at night, Adams said, while the city’s shelter system is not designed to handle them.
Key Background
The first Latin American and South American migrants bussed in the program led by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott arrived in Washington D.C. in April. The move has been widely condemned by Democratic lawmakers, including Adams, and labeled a “publicity stunt” by White House officials. Abbott launched the program in response to Biden’s immigration policies, and primarily his plans to terminate the Trump-era Title 42, which had allowed border officials to send migrants back across the Mexican border over pandemic-related public health concerns. A federal judge in Louisiana, however, blocked the Biden Administration in May from lifting the order. Abbott later said Texas is “sharing our pain with the rest of the country” — a move that Adams criticized as undignified. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), meanwhile, launched a similar initiative, sending migrants to blue-leaning cities, including Washington D.C., where in July, Mayor Muriel Bowser activated the D.C. National Guard to address what she called a “humanitarian crisis.”
Tangent
Adams also said on Friday he will commit to plans to establish a “humanitarian relief center,” referred to as a “tent city,” on Randall’s Island, in New York City—a plan that has come under fire from City Council members who argue the site carries “environmental challenges,” including flood risks and cold weather. Adams had previously considered using cruise ships as temporary housing for migrants, saying the city needed to consider “creative ways” to address the situation. Last month, he said the city is “nearing its breaking point.”
Big Number
100,000. That’s how many migrants are expected to enter the city’s shelter system if the current rate continues, according to the emergency order.
Further Reading
Texas Now Busing Migrants To New York City—Mayor Adams Warns City Services Stretching Thin (Forbes)
D.C. Mayor Requests National Guard Help As Texas And Arizona Bus Migrants To City (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/10/07/nyc-mayor-adams-declares-state-of-emergency-amid-migrant-busing-crisis/