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New York City’s mayor on Friday declared a state of emergency for thousands of immigrants from southern border states since the spring, calling the city’s need for housing and other assistance “unsustainable.”
“A city recovering from an ongoing global pandemic is being overwhelmed by a humanitarian crisis created by human hands,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “We are on the brink of a cliff. We need help, right now. need.”
By the end of its financial year, Mr Adams said the city expects to spend $1bn (£900m) helping new arrivals, many of whom rely heavily on government aid because federal law prohibits them from working in the US.
Mr. Adams, a Democrat, said the city welcomed newcomers. He spoke proudly of New York City’s history as a landing point for newcomers.
“New Yorkers are always looking for our immigrant siblings. We see ourselves in them. We see our ancestors in them,” he said.
But, he added, “while our compassion is limitless, our resources are not”.
New York City’s already strained shelter system has been under more strain for much of the year due to an unexpected increase in the number of people in need.
Mr Adams said five to six migrant buses arrived each day, with nine on Thursday alone. Many of those buses were chartered and paid for by Republican officials in Texas and Arizona who have sought to pressure the Biden administration to change border policy by sending immigrants to Democratic-leaning cities and states in the north.
One-fifth of the beds in New York City’s homeless shelter system are now occupied by immigrants, and the sudden influx has pushed its population to record levels.
The city opened 42 new temporary shelters, mostly in hotels, but Mr Adams said more needed to be done.
On Friday, he said that includes city agencies coordinating the creation of more humanitarian centers; fast-tracking New Yorkers from shelters to permanent housing, which will make room for newcomers; and providing additional space for those in need. The New Yorkers developed a process.
He called for state and federal financial aid, federal legislation to allow asylum seekers to work legally faster, and a federal plan to distribute asylum seekers fairly across the country “to ensure everyone is doing their part.”
He said New York will continue to do what it can.
“There will be a lot of Americans going back to this moment from now on,” he said. “Grandchildren will recall the day their grandparents arrived in New York City, where they found compassion rather than cruelty, a place to sleep in peace. A warm meal. A chance for a better future.”
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