New York City Mayor and Texas Governor Spar Over Biden’s Migrant Crisis

FAIR Take | April 2024

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City continues to blame the Big Apple’s unprecedented migrant crisis on Texas Governor Greg Abbott, recently suggesting that the Governor should spend a night in a migrant shelter in his city “so he can see what he created.”  In response, Abbott challenged Adams on social media, urging him to prioritize the safety of residents, including subway riders and police officers.

While Mayor Adams blames Governor Abbott for New York City’s migrant crisis, the data does not back up his claims. In fact, out of an estimated 180,000 illegal aliens received by New York, only about 25 percent (37,000) have been bused by the State of Texas. Another 33,000 aliens, or 22 percent of the city’s total, flew into the interior of the United States and were approved for direct flights by President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mayor Adams also fails to consider how sanctuary policies contribute to the increased populations of illegal aliens in the city. New York City has long refused to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security, including refusing to detain criminal aliens at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Before a House committee last week, Secretary Mayorkas said, “I believe that when an individual poses a threat to public safety or national security, their local or state jurisdiction should co-operate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the swift detention and removal of that individual.” Mayorkas, who tried to appear tough on sanctuary policies, has done little himself to end them.

New York City is also facing increased assaults and violence, but city officials insist the city is safe. Police Commissioner Edward Caban says “the influx of migrants into New York, coupled with intense coverage when a crime is committed by someone who is not legally supposed to be in the country, can stoke fears” and is more of a “perception rather than reality.” Americans are increasingly concerned about violent crimes committed by criminal aliens and the insurgence of gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua (Aragua Train), which specializes in extortion, murder, and theft. The gang is attempting to establish a beachhead in the United States and are alleged to have been involved in the recent beating of a New York police officer.

While the Adams and Abbott spar, House Republicans rebuked Mayor Adams last week for giving illegal aliens pre-paid debit cards, questioning if federal dollars were being expended for his new initiative, the Immediate Response Card pilot program. The program, announced in January, would make $53 million in funds available to families in New York to help subsidize “food and supplies.”  The City is partnering with Mobility Capital Finance, who says it is an “honor to be a part of the effort to welcome and support asylum seekers.” In the letter from House Republicans, Adams was urged to reconsider the long-term cost to Americans and New York City taxpayers. They said:

“Illegal immigrants are flooding into NYC because of its sanctuary city status and transportation and housing programs facilitating their arrival. Your refusal to coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has created a safe haven for migrants who believe they can illegally cross our borders, obtain a free bus ticket to Manhattan, and receive free food and housing without risk of being deported. The Immediate Response Card program, which reportedly began on Monday, March 25, 2024, will do nothing to curb the migrant crisis.”

As previously reported by FAIR, New York City is budgeting $12 billion between now and the end of Fiscal Year 2025 to provide for the hundreds of thousands of recent illegal migrants who have arrived.  According to City Councilwoman Vicki Paladino, the city is now “spending more taxpayer money to care for foreign nationals than we are on the annual budgets of the NYPD, FDNY and Department of Sanitation, combined.”

Since the border crisis shows no sign of slowing, the influx of migrants to New York City will continue. And, with that, the costs to taxpayers will continue to soar.