New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Wednesday night that the illegal immigration crisis under the Biden administration will “destroy” his city, pointing out that he doesn’t see an end to the problem as the Big Apple continues to struggle with an influx of tens of thousands of migrants from the southern border.
Mr. Adams made the remarks during a town hall meeting in the Upper West Side neighborhood of New York City, saying buses filled with illegal immigrants from countries “all over the globe” are arriving in the city.
“Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City,” the Democrat mayor said. “The city we knew, we’re about to lose,” he added.
More than 110,000 illegal aliens have come to New York City since the spring of 2022, with about 60,000 currently remaining in the city’s care, Mr. Adams said on Sept. 6, announcing the opening of a shelter in Long Island City that can house up to 1,000 illegal immigrants seeking asylum.
“We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month,” Mr. Adams said, noting that primarily Venezuelans arrived in the city at first, but now there are also Ecuador nationals as well as Russian-speaking individuals going through the U.S. southern border and coming to New York City.
“Now we’re getting Western Africa, now we’re getting people from all over the globe that have made their minds up that they’re going to come through the southern part of the border and come to New York City,” he continued.
Mr. Adams has estimated that the illegal immigration crisis could cost the self-declared “sanctuary city” $12 billion over three years if things don’t change. The issue has also worried New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who called on President Joe Biden in a letter (pdf) on Aug. 24 to direct the federal government and help provide the state with housing, support, and work authorization for illegal immigrants.
