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Mayor Adams declares state of emergency in NYC over growing migrant crisis
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 7, 2022
Modified Oct 7, 2022
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 7, 2022
Modified Oct 7, 2022
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Mayor Eric Adams on Friday declared a state of emergency over the ongoing influx of migrants, saying New York City is reaching its “limit” on a crisis he estimates would cost taxpayers $1 billion by the end of the year.
“This is a humanitarian crisis that started with violence and instability in South America and is being accelerated by American political dynamics,” said Adams, speaking from City Hall.
“Our right-to-shelter laws, our social services, and our values are being exploited by others for political gain,” he added.
More than 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city since the spring. Under the city’s sweeping, decades-old right-to-shelter mandate, the shelter system must provide a bed to anyone who seeks it.
The announcement represented the latest efforts of an administration struggling to respond to a political tactic mounted by Republican governors, who have sought to challenge President Joe Biden’s immigration policies by putting thousands of migrants on buses headed to Democratic cities, testing so-called sanctuary cities.
During a roughly 14-minute speech that was closed to reporters, Adams said the city was being “exploited by others playing games” and noted that there was never any coordination between himself and other governors.
An average of five to six buses carrying migrants have arrived daily, with nine coming on Thursday and another eight expected to arrive today, according to Adams, who warned that the number of people in the city's shelter system was likely to surpass its all-time high later today.
“Our shelter system is now operating near 100% capacity and if these trends continue, we will be over 100,000 in the year to come. That's far more than the system was ever designed to handle,” Adams said. “This is unsustainable. The city is going to run out of funding for other priorities.”
The most recently available data shows that as of Wednesday there were 61,070 people residing in city shelters, according to the Department of Homeless Services’ daily census. That’s 345 people shy of the peak set in January 2019 since the city started tracking the figures almost a decade ago.
In an appeal that is likely to spur criticism from immigration rights activists, Adams called on the Biden administration to implement “a realistic decompression strategy at the border that will slow the outflow of asylum seekers.”
“We need a coordinated effort to move asylum seekers to other cities in this country to ensure everyone is doing their part,” he added.
The mayor — who has said the migrant crisis is undermining the city’s economy — also said he was asking the federal government to grant asylum seekers permits to work immediately as opposed to having them wait six months.
We need a coordinated effort to move asylum seekers to other cities in this country to ensure everyone is doing their part.
Mayor Eric Adams
Talking to reporters after the speech, the mayor said that managing the wave of asylum seekers requires “national coordination and should be handled at the border.”
“When people come in, number one, they should be allowed to go to the destinations that they desire and not just incentivize them to go to New York, Washington, or Chicago,” Adams said. “And then we should ensure that the entire country absorbs this influx of asylum seekers so that we’re not leaning on three cities in the northern part of this country. That is the role of the national government.”
During his speech, the mayor implored Congress to deliver funding to cities serving the migrants as well as long-stalled immigration reform.
The state of emergency order will now expedite the efforts of city agencies tasked with building tent encampments to temporarily house some of the asylum seekers. After the city initially constructed a tent city in the parking lot of Orchard Beach in the Bronx, flooding in the area prompted Adams to shift his plans and move the facility to Randall’s Island.
While it remains unclear when the 500-person encampment will open, there are plans in the works to open up other so-called “Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers.” Adams said there are “plenty of locations that are under state control” that should be considered as sites.
In his speech Adams said the city will fast-track the placement of sheltered homeless people into permanent housing. The move was praised by the New York Immigration Coalition, which has been calling for a full-scale coordination in resolving the crisis.
"While a coordinated response will ensure that New York City has what it needs to continue to successfully integrate asylum seekers, we still strongly condemn any plan to house asylum seekers in tents, in transit deserts, in areas prone to flooding, as autumn turns to winter," said Murad Awawdeh, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
Adams has been under increased scrutiny from members of his own party over his tent encampments over concerns of flooding, inaccessibility, and possible living conditions as winter approaches.
On Friday, several elected officials sent a letter to the mayor asking his administration to abandon the “refugee camp model,” calling them "unsafe and inhumane.” The New York City Council has proposed its own plan for responding to the crisis, sending asylum seekers to vacant hotels instead of tents.
Instead, they’re asking him to consider the Javits Center, which is owned by the state and was transformed into a temporary hospital during the height of the pandemic. A spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the Javits Center website, several events are planned throughout the next year, including Comic Con, which draws tens of thousands of people.
The article has been updated with additional details on the mayor's speech and reaction from the New York Immigration Coalition.
Tagged
new york city
housing
eric adams
immigration
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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