Assembly Republicans Offer Proposals To Mitigate Migrant Crisis
Written by on September 17, 2023
The United States of America is facing a migrant crisis, and that migrant crisis has reached the state of New York.
During the 12-month period ending September 30, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped migrants entering the United States via our nation’s southern border “more than 2,766,582 times.” The huge number of migrants has placed great stress on cities and states along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing migrants to New York City, asserting that a sanctuary city like the Big Apple should have no objection to welcoming them.
Since the spring of 2022, more than 113,000 migrants have entered New York City. Fox 5 New York recently reported that nearly 60,000 of those migrants are under the city’s care. Many of the migrants are not eligible to work in the United States. According to Politico, New York City has received $140 million in federal aid to address the crisis, but spent $1.5 billion on housing and services for migrants during the most recent fiscal year. Last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that the city had run out of shelter space. On September 6, Mayor Adams asserted that the continuing influx of migrants would “destroy” the city if additional help was not provided.
In recent months, Mayor Adams has sent migrants to various locations in upstate New York. The migrant crisis is no longer just a New York City issue; it is a New York state issue.
It is quite clear that the ongoing migrant crisis has had a significant effect on the state of New York and on the entire nation. In this challenging situation, government officials have a responsibility to uphold the rule of law and to exercise fiscal restraint, but also to treat the migrants with the same mercy that should be extended to any person in need.
Many politicians have responded to the migrant crisis by bickering with one another and blaming each other. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others are (justifiably) angry with the Biden administration for allowing the border situation to become chaotic and overwhelming. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is displeased with Gov. Abbott, accusing him of sending migrants to New York City with no coordination and no warning; however, some upstate officials have made similar complaints about Mayor Adams. Mayor Adams is also unhappy with President Joe Biden and Gov. Kathy Hochul for not providing more federal and state resources to help New York City manage the migrant situation. Gov. Hochul has complained that the federal government has not acted quickly enough to provide migrants with work permits. The White House, in turn, blames Congress for the migrant crisis because Congress has not passed the President’s comprehensive immigration reform bill.
None of this political finger-pointing is likely to solve or mitigate the migrant crisis. Recently, however, Assembly Republicans have made some policy recommendations that deserve consideration. Early this month, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R-Pulaski) wrote Gov. Hochul to request that she call a special legislative session to address the migrant crisis. In his letter, Leader Barclay recommended that the state pass legislation to do the following:
Require that all migrants be registered by the state;
Prevent government funding from being used to shelter migrants in day care centers, schools, or community-based organizations;
End the state of New York’s status as a sanctuary jurisdiction; and
Require municipal approval before migrants can be sent from one city to another within the state. A bill to this effect, known as the Migrant Home Rule Transfer Transparency Act, has been introduced by Sen. Jim Tedisco (R-Glenville) and Asm. Marianne Buttenschon (D-Marcy). According to State of Politics, the Tedisco/Buttenschon bill would require New York City not to send migrants to other New York municipalities without permission and without providing 30 days’ notice.
Obviously, Leader Barclay’s proposals only scratch the surface of what is needed to deal with New York’s migrant crisis. However, they would make a good start.
