Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on President Joe Biden and the federal government to offer more support to New York as the state works to address an influx of migrants.
At a news conference Thursday, Hochul discussed a letter that calls on the federal government to “take executive action and direct significant financial assistance” to support the state.
The governor’s letter includes a four-point plan for what the state is requesting. The letter calls on the federal government to expedite work authorization for migrants; provide the city and state with more financial assistance; offer federal sites across the city and state as temporary housing for migrants; and reimburse the city and state for costs tied to the deployment of National Guard members providing support.
According to the letter, over 100,000 asylum seekers and migrants have arrived in the state since last year.
“The reality is, we've managed this far without substantive support from Washington, and despite the fact that this is a national, indeed an inherently federal, issue. But New York has shouldered this burden for far too long,” Hochul said at the news conference. “Since the first migrants began arriving at the Port Authority Bus Terminal last year, the city and state have poured tremendous funds, billions of dollars and energy, into helping them.”
Hochul suggested in the letter that the federal government could accelerate the granting of work authorizations for migrants by granting Temporary Protected Status to countries where migrants are arriving from, like Venezuela.
In terms of funding, the governor said while she appreciated the $145 million provided to the state by the federal government, that amount is “insufficient.” The governor said the state has already committed more than $1.5 billion to aid migrants, and could spend as much as $4.5 billion more next year. She added that city projections indicate that supporting migrants could cost the city $12 billion.
The funding from the federal government would help with costs associated with health care, transportation, housing and education, according to the governor.
In terms of the need for federal sites for temporary housing, Hochul said the city and state are “quickly running out of viable locations to house asylum seekers and migrants,” and called federal assistance “essential.” She added that while she was grateful for the federal government’s support in making Floyd Bennett Field available, “there are other properties the federal government owns that should also be made available for this purpose.
“This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government,” Hochul said at the news conference. “The borders and decisions about who can work are solely determined by the federal government.”
A spokesperson for the White House said in a statement that the Biden administration will continue to work with communities across the country to support them with what they need. The spokesperson, however, said that only Congress can provide the additional funding necessary for these efforts.
“Without congressional action, this administration has been working to build a safe, orderly and humane immigration system and has worked to identify ways to improve efficiencies and maximize the resources the federal government can provide to communities across the country to support the flow of migrants,” the spokesperson’s statement reads, in part.
In his own statement, Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that the city appreciated the governor’s acknowledgement of the work the city has done to manage the influx of migrants, and appreciated that she is calling for federal aid.
"We are asking the governor to ask the federal government to declare a state of emergency, so we can more easily access additional resources. And we are asking the governor to use her powers to prevent counties from issuing exclusionary emergency orders and give us the resources needed to get people out of shelter, so that they can move on to the next steps in their journeys," Adams added.