NYC Mayor Eric Adams is finalizing a deal to use a Norwegian cruise ship as migrant housing

A wave of migrants to New York City linked to “President Joe Biden’s Southern Border Crisis” could live on a massive Norwegian cruise ship as Mayor Eric Adams is tipped to strike a deal with the cruise line.

A source that speaks with The mailtold the publication that Adams would like to lease the luxury vessel for six months, dock at the Staten Island home port and use it to house and process migrants before entering the city’s reception system.

Migrants living aboard the ship could move around freely, with preliminary estimates showing the plan will be “cheaper than setting up another tent town,” as seen in the Bronx.

About 15,500 migrants have made their way to New York according to City Hall estimates, with Adams predicting a wave of 75,000 that would strain the shelter system to “breaking point.”

New York City’s massive homeless shelter system has been scrambling to accommodate the unexpected new influx of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

A tent town is one of the plans to house 13,000 asylum seekers who have been bussed into town as part of a campaign by governors to disrupt federal border policy.

The first tents are set up at Orchard Beach in a remote corner of the Bronx, where public transportation is limited. Officials would also investigate other areas.

Once completed, rows and rows of cots will be set up with the tent heated as cooler autumn evenings kick in in the city.

City officials said the facilities – which they call “humanitarian relief and shelter centers” – would house migrants for only up to four days, while the city arranged other types of shelter.

The mayor has also pleaded with the White House for $500 million in emergency funding to pay for just one year of migrant services.

It’s unclear whether Adams has signed a deal with Homeport, a former naval station on the northeast coast of Staten Island, the source told The Post.

Adams has not yet confirmed any plans and says his office will be transparent when a deal is brokered.

“If we get an announcement of a deal, we will make it public with a level of transparency,” he said.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella told The Post that City Hall had alerted him to the plan and that he had asked the Independent Budget Office for a cost estimate of the impact of the migrant crisis on the city.

“This thing is still very tentative, which is good, because how does this become a problem on Staten Island? This is a federal problem,” he said.

‘This pier is also problematic. There is no electricity there. Whatever they do here is untenable.’

Fosella said the idea of ​​housing migrants should not become “Staten Island’s problem.”

“I’m not for this cruise. Let’s avoid cruising for a bruise. What’s next? Campers on the street? These problems must not become Staten Island’s problem.”

US Representative for New York’s 11th Congressional District, Nicole Malliotakis, called the plan “ridiculous.”

“Both Biden and Adams refuse to address the root of the problem and instead continue to encourage illegal immigration,” she said.

“Secure our borders, restore ‘Stay in Mexico’ and add judges to deal with legitimate asylum cases quickly. Democrats have abdicated, but if the Republicans take the House, we’ll put an end to this nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Joe Borelli, the city council’s minority leader, said he “knew this could be a possibility.”

“Until Biden closes the border, I’m not sure how we can continue to house these people without taking over every inch of parkland with tent cities,” he said.

“This may be a more reasonable way of dealing with the crisis than people may think.”

Locals have said the move could lead to a rift within the community.

One man said, “I don’t like a plan where they take a bunch of people, put a label on it and throw them all in one place,” he said.

‘I don’t think this will allow people to be involved in society as equals. You’ve labeled them and then it suddenly puts everyone three steps backwards towards some form of assimilation.’

Another said: ‘I have no problem with migrants being part of the community. I do have the feeling that the boat is a bit isolated from the community.’

In the past 11 months, border officials in the United States have arrested more than 2 million illegal immigrants on the southern border, according to Customs (CBP).

In August alone, the CBP found 203,597 migrants at the southern border, a slight increase compared to the border crossings in July.

Since October 2021, CBP has recorded 2,150,639 migrants crossing the border from Mexico — and more than 3.5 million have been attacked since the start of Biden’s tenure.

These figures do not include the number of migrants who have crossed the border and evaded CBP agents.

Vice President Kamala Harris was put in charge of the migration crisis from Biden – and her office quickly labeled the role as tackling the “root causes” of migration rather than the problems at the border.

Republicans have reprimanded the Biden administration for ignoring the prevailing crisis, especially as deaths along the border have reached record levels.

In September, preliminary figures show that 30 migrants have died along the border, adding to the total number of 782 deaths in fiscal year 2022.

That figure surpassed the previous record reached in fiscal year 2021, when more than 557 deaths were reported.