New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that shelters in New York City are full amid the relentless influx of illegal immigrants and they should ‘go somewhere else.’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has expressed frustration at the illegal immigration crisis gripping the Big Apple, telling would-be asylum seekers to “go somewhere else” while throwing her weight behind a push to suspend the city’s right-to-shelter law amid the relentless influx.
Ms. Hochul made the remarks in a Wednesday interview on CNN, in which she said that New York City has run out of space to take in more illegal immigrants and that the city is at a breaking point due to the crisis.
“They’re coming from all over,” she said. “But we have to let the word out that when you come to New York, we’re not going to have more hotel rooms. We don’t have capacity.”
She added that it’s important to get the word out to would-be asylum seekers that “we’re at our limit.”
“If you’re going to leave your country, go somewhere else. But the smarter thing is to apply for asylum before you leave your country, and then you’ll have a different experience when you arrive,” she continued. “But we’re just trying to deal with the crisis we have right now.”
According to New York City officials, over 110,000 illegal immigrants have come to the city over the past year, with around 60,000 living in the city’s shelter system, costing billions of dollars per year.
‘New Yorkers Are Frustrated’
Patience among residents appears to be running thin amid the crisis, with fed-up Staten Island residents taking to the streets on Tuesday and physically blocking the arrival of a bus carrying dozens of illegal immigrants at a residential school converted into a shelter.
Several dozen protesters were captured on video stopping traffic after intercepting the bus, with police taking 10 demonstrators into custody.
“Of course New Yorkers are frustrated,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday in an interview with NY1.
By Tom Ozimek
