New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams over his demands to control the number of migrants being sent to his city from border states.
Hochul’s attorney put Adams on full blast in a letter accusing the mayor of failing to appropriately address the migrant crisis.
Adams has pleaded for the issue to be taken on by other cities in the state, but Hochul said New York City is better equipped to deal with the crisis.
“Let’s be very clear — you cannot involuntarily take people from the city and send them all over the state of New York,” Hochul said, in a phone interview with Spectrum News NY1, according to the Blaze. “Putting someone in a hotel on a dark, lonely road in upstate New York and telling them they’re supposed to survive is not compassion.”
Hochul’s letter claims that Adams was slow to act amid the ongoing migrant crisis in his state and that he failed to use several millions of dollars that were allocated to help relocate migrants. The letter also blamed the New York City mayor for forcing migrants to sleep on the street outside of the Roosevelt Hotel when beds had been available.
“It is true that they did not accept some of the help we offered,” Hochul said.
Adams has argued that the migrants would cost the city at least $12 billion over the next three years if the issue isn’t resolved either by the state or the federal government. The mayor is currently facing backlash from his constituents over his handling of the migrant housing centers in the city.
Adams addressed the criticism by demanding the Biden administration declare a national emergency at the southern border so that other states can take up the migrant issue.
NEW ‼️
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is asking @POTUS to declare a State of Emergency due to the migrant crisis. This comes just a day after Massachusetts Gov. declared a State of Emergency over the same issue.
Here’s what Adams had to say👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/KUz0YkDGF4— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) August 9, 2023
Despite the political infighting, Adams and Hochuk agreed that the federal government should allow migrants to find legal employment.
“The number one priority for those here is to be able to get a job,” Hochul said. “We want them to get employment, but there’s constraint at the federal level as far as their designation.”
Hochul has also sent the National Guard to Erie County to aid with security surrounding migrant housing centers and prevent further allegations of mistreatment between the immigrants.
