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New York City Mayor Eric Adams says there is “no more room” for asylum seekers who have been pouring into the Big Apple since last year.
In an interview Wednesday with Politico, the politician said the city simply doesn’t have the space to take in more refugees after accepting some 40,000 in recent months.
The Democratic mayor also said he has reached out to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for help, but most requests have been ignored.
Now he says “all elements are on the table” to address the crisis, including backtracking on his idea of using the cruise ships docked in the city’s port as a temporary solution.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says there’s ‘no more room’ for asylum seekers
Mayor Eric Adams’ requests for assistance from Gov. Kathy Hochul have been mostly denied
Adams first floated the idea of housing immigrants on cruise ships in September after declaring a “humanitarian crisis” over the influx of immigrants arriving in New York.
Busloads of migrants have been pouring into the metro area since the fall when the Republican governor, primarily Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, began sending asylum seekers across the border to mostly Democratic-leaning cities.
During the interview with about politic Sally Goldenberg, the reporter, asked the mayor about recent comments he had made about how the city could soon run out of space.
Goldenberg asked if there are “other places” Adams is considering sending immigrants to if the city can’t accept them.
“Actually Sally, there’s no more room,” Adams responded, describing the situation that has already cost an estimated $300 million.
“It’s not that we’re getting to that point, we’re at that point,” he continued.
The mayor said he wants to “be clear to New Yorkers” about the issues and how they will be affected, but also to continue “to uphold our moral and legal obligation.”
In an interview with Politico, Adams said the city isn’t nearly full, it’s already full.
The mayor of New York said he is considering using cruise ships to house migrants
Adams had originally floated the idea of using cruisers in September.
Some 40,000 migrants have arrived in NYC in the last year
The situation has already cost the city an estimated $300 million.
“Whoever comes to the city, you won’t see people sleeping on the streets with families because we continue to rotate and change as necessary,” the mayor said.
Part of that ‘pivot’ could include the idea of bringing migrants aboard docked ships to operate as a temporary housing facility.
“If it means using cruise ships, if it means finding space on state land, in my conversation with the governor, we will continue to pivot and shift to address the influx of migrants and asylum seekers that we’re seeing.” Adams said.
He went on to say that he has not ruled out any options to help deal with the crisis.
‘That’s what we’ve had to do since the beginning of this crisis when the Governor of Texas sent people here, we’ll continue to make sure we address the issue we face while fighting for the support we deserve. ‘ he said.
Adams said nothing is off the table when it comes to dealing with the crisis.
The cruise ship solution is just one of many proposed by the Democratic mayor
Goldenberg then asked the mayor, “So it looks like the possibility of cruise ships is still on the table?”
“All the items are on the table,” he replies. “We have a moral and legal responsibility to do what’s right not only for all New Yorkers, but for anyone who comes to our city.”
Mayor Adams said he has also had discussions recently with other mayors and will continue to speak with them about how to help New York with the growing problem.
“I spoke to the mayor of Kansas City today and he said that while we’re not directly affected, we know this is hurting his cities and we want to be part of the solution,” Adams said.
The mayor said he has a “moral and legal” obligation to help migrants
He continued, saying that they will continue to “twist” until they find the best solution.
‘That’s what we’ve had to do since the beginning of this crisis when the Governor of Texas sent people here, we’ll continue to make sure we address the issue we face while fighting for the support we deserve. adams said
It is the lack of response from New York Governor Kathy Hochul that is driving Adams back to the solution of using cruise ships to house migrants.
Adams has asked Gov. Hochul for emergency help, a request she has largely refused.
It has also asked the state and federal governments to allow the city to use land it owns.
Similarly, President Joe Biden has been largely unresponsive to requests.
Adams has asked Gov. Hochul for emergency help, a request he has mostly refused.
Adams’ interview with Politico comes just days after he called the border crisis a “disaster” while visiting El Paso to see the situation firsthand.
‘Why isn’t this considered a disaster? This is a crisis,’ Adams told The New York Post at the end of his visit.
“No one is coordinating this national effort,” he said from Texas on Sunday night.
‘FEMA needs to step up. That’s their job,’ he said, speaking of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Adams previously made a request for $1 billion to help deal with the crisis.
Eric Adams toured migrant shelters and visited the southern border en route to El Paso before calling the situation a ‘disaster’
Adams said FEMA should step in to help in the ‘disaster’
The mayor drew a backlash after his interviews for failing to call Biden, whom many have blamed for the trouble.
Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island, attacked him for referring to the crisis simply as a national problem and not naming the president.
“The mayor is right in the sense that he is saying that this is a national crisis, but he needs to say that this is a national crisis created by Joe Biden,” Malliotakis told Fox News.
‘Joe Biden implemented the policies through an executive order that created this mess. This was not happening under President Trump. It was not happening under President Obama, and it has reached a record level,” he said.