(New York Post) Mayor Eric Adams raged on Friday that the ongoing surge of migrants into the Big Apple has “destroyed” the city — as he delivered his most impassioned plea yet to the Biden administration for help dealing with the flow of immigrants into the city.
Hizzoner, who earlier this week blasted the White House for turning its back on NYC, sounded the alarm on the multi-billion-dollar cost to the Big Apple budget during a visit to Washington, DC on Friday, where he plans to press the administration for federal aid.
“The city is being destroyed by the migrant crisis,” a distressed Adams said before his scheduled meeting, during a panel discussion hosted by the African American Mayors Association.
He also took aim at other elected Big Apple officials in his remarks, saying: “And none of my folks came to Washington DC to fight for the resources that’s going to undermine every agency in our city.”
Adams didn’t mention that city Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, had traveled to DC on Wednesday to ask federal officials for additional migrant funding aid.
The mayor’s fiery claims came ahead of a string of closed-door meetings with White House officials and Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Deanne Criswell, where he laid the migrant crisis on the table.
At one point on Friday afternoon, Biden dropped by as five mayors from the association were meeting in the White House’s Roosevelt Room – but Adams was absent.
Adams’ showing in DC comes after he ramped up his criticism of the Biden administration refusing to provide additional fiscal relief — even as the Big Apple stares down the barrel of a $4.3 billion crisis that has forced the city to house more than 56,000 migrants in over 100 taxpayer-funded shelters.
As recently as Wednesday, Adams took aim at Biden, as he accused the White House of abandoning the city and triggering “one of the largest humanitarian crises that this city has ever experienced.”
“The national government has turned its back on New York City,” Adams said. “Every service in this city is going to be impacted by the asylum seeker crisis.”
Mayor Eric Adams on Friday said the ongoing migrant crisis has “destroyed” New York City.Rod Lamkey – CNP
City Hall has applied for $654 million in FEMA grant money to plug the city’s budget hole, but a decision won’t be handed down until May 31. The city has spent $817 million between July 2022 and March, according to the Office of Budget and Management.
Hizzoner also recently ordered city agencies to slash $4 billion from their budgets over the next four years in order to pay for the massive humanitarian effort.
Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal – which is now nearly three weeks overdue — has called for the state, city and feds to split NYC’s migrant crisis costs equally. Adams, however, has said it is likely the Big Apple will be on the hook for a larger share.
Adams didn’t name names during his speech on the DC panel but the likes of Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, have been quiet on the migrant funding front of late, critics claim.
Schumer took credit last December for adding $800 million in migrant-related aid to Biden’s $1.7 billion spending plan, saying at the time the city could seek some of those funds.
More than 56,000 asylum seekers have flowed into New York City within the last year.
