New York Mayor Eric Adams once again called out the Biden administration and the federal government over its “stunning” inability to address the Big Apple's migrant crisis.
Adams, a Democrat, has often clashed with the president and Democrats in Washington, continually begging Washington for money to fix a disaster that he claimed would “destroy my city.”
It comes amid news that there are now more than 67,000 migrants living in the city's shelter system, more than three times as many as this time last year.
When asked why his fellow Democrats running the show in DC have ignored this despite his repeated, personal pleas to do something, Adams was at a loss for words, saying the problem is now spreading.
“I think it's mind-boggling because now you hear the coalitions that started with Eric, now it's gone to Chicago, Massachusetts, Denver… so many municipalities are joining me in saying this is impacting our city, so I know not sure. why we don't see a response,” Adams shared ABC-7.
New York Mayor Eric Adams once again called out the Biden administration and the federal government over its 'stunning' inability to address the Big Apple's migrant crisis
Adams, once seen as a potential rising star for the party, went a step further and suggested he would have the solution to the problems – which he says Democrats have “underestimated” if he were president.
His “real decompression strategy” would ferry migrants across the country from the border and give them a three-year window to settle.
“We tell them, 'This is where you go for three years to stabilize yourself.'
“This way we're spreading it across the country, instead of 140,000 coming here or a thousand coming to Chicago,” he added.
Adams says the good would outweigh the bad if you simply dispersed the migrants.
“We have 108,000 towns, villages and cities across America. In my opinion, many people are dealing with population issues, employment issues and they want migrants and asylum seekers who can work because we are a city and a country of immigrants.”
The Senate has postponed its holiday recess to work on a border security and foreign aid package that could be a breakthrough on immigration policy — something Congress has not acted on in decades.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that talks had made “good progress” on a package that would include money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and in return strengthen border security measures.
People stand outside the Roosevelt Hotel, which has served as a makeshift shelter for arriving migrants since May, in the Midtown section of New York City
Hundreds of migrants arrive at the Mexico-United States border to seek humanitarian asylum as the Texas National Guard strives to prevent illegal crossings in Ciudad Juarez.
One idea being considered is to allow Homeland Security officials to stop migrants from seeking asylum at the southern border if the total number of crossings in a day exceeds 5,000.
Hardliners on both sides of the aisle in the House of Representatives are expected to oppose the deal: Conservative Republicans will say it falls short of H.R. 2, their party-line immigration bill, and that it opposes aid to Ukraine be general. Progressive Democrats will oppose border restrictions.
In New York, Adams has implemented a 30-day limit for single adults in temporary shelters.
The mayor's government is struggling to cope with a huge influx of migrants, with more than 140,000 arriving since last year.
'I don't see an end to this. This issue will destroy New York City,” Adams declared in September.
Adams estimates that the city will spend $12 billion over the next three years to accommodate the influx, setting up large-scale emergency shelters, renting out hotels and providing various government services to migrants.
Earlier this month, the Democrat announced a $110.5 billion budget, saying cuts to all departments were necessary after the city spent $1.45 billion on the migrant crisis in the 2023 budget year.
The cuts would result in NYPD officer cuts by one-fifth, or 13.5 percent, by postponing the next five academy classes, bringing the number of officers below 30,000 — down from 36,000.
Adam's government is struggling to cope with a huge influx of migrants, with more than 140,000 arriving since last year
Hundreds of asylum seekers waited for accommodations along 7th Street and Avenue B in Manhattan in November
Ibrahim, from Chad (far left) has been waiting for new temporary housing for five days, claiming officials keep telling him to come back the next day
Many of the migrants DailyMail.com spoke to recalled one man suffering hypothermia while waiting and being taken to hospital after 911 was called
Education would also take a $1 billion hit over two years and it would cause a delay in the rollout of composting in the Bronx and Staten Island, leading to less trash collection and cuts to pre-K city programs.
The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library would also have to eliminate Sunday service due to the budget cuts.
“Without adequate funding, we cannot maintain our current levels of service, and further cuts to libraries' budgets will unfortunately result in deeper impacts to services,” the libraries said in a statement.
The cuts would also reduce funding for two children's programs: summer school and universal preschool.
Adams has long warned of the potential for budget cuts to help offset rising costs for migrant housing. He has pleaded with the federal government for more resources, but these have fallen on deaf ears.