On Monday, July 31st, I attended a press conference with elected Democrats from New York who were urging President Biden to address the unprecedented “migrant crisis” affecting our city. It’s encouraging to see more of my colleagues, even those who support open borders, recognizing the urgent need for New York to address the influx of migrants overwhelming our streets and homeless shelters. Unfortunately, our status as a so-called “sanctuary city” has put us in this position, a stance that I have personally opposed as both a civic leader and now as a member of the New York City Council.
The number of migrants in our city is staggering and continues to rise each day. When I wrote about this issue back in April, approximately 55,000 migrants had arrived in our city. Now, just four months later, city agencies have processed nearly 100,000 migrants, with at least 56,200 of them being housed and supported by our social service agencies. This means that over half of the approximately 100,000 homeless individuals in New York City are migrants. Let’s be clear, resources that should be going to support our homeless New Yorkers are being diverted to assist migrants. It is projected that migrants will cost taxpayers $4.2 billion by next year, and this number will only increase as the crisis persists. The city has even awarded a $432 million no-bid contract just to relocate migrants to different cities. As my colleagues emphasized during the press conference, this is an unsustainable situation.
Regrettably, the current administration’s open border policies have led to this catastrophe. Since taking office, President Biden has issued nearly 300 executive orders related to immigration, all aimed at making it easier for anyone to enter our country. Some of these policies have been widely discussed, such as halting the border wall construction and ending the successful remain-in-Mexico policy. However, there are other equally damaging policies that have received less attention, such as reducing the number of illegal immigrants subject to arrest, ceasing the enforcement of “public charge” restrictions, and increasing the number of allowable refugees to 125,000. Furthermore, President Biden and his administration officials spread false information about Border Patrol agents mistreating illegal immigrants crossing the border. This sends a clear message to potential immigrants that they can ignore our immigration laws and rush the border with the expectation of being rewarded.
The current wave of illegal migration is unprecedented and should not be misrepresented as a normal process of assimilation into our nation, which has a rich history of immigration. In the past, immigrants arrived legally and assimilated into ethnic-based communities, gradually integrating into the diverse fabric of America. Today, migrants are dependent on taxpayer support indefinitely and legally prohibited from obtaining work. According to a study, New York taxpayers will spend $9.9 billion in 2023 alone to provide federal, state, and local government support to 1 million illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in New York State. This stands in stark contrast to our proud tradition of immigrants coming to our country and working their way to success.
Asylum seekers are facing a significant wait time of 10 years before seeing a judge, and we lack a system to effectively track migrants while they await their hearings. New York City cannot handle the burden of 100,000 individuals, primarily single men, idling on our streets, merely waiting for immigration and labor laws to change. Many have already turned to criminal activities, and I predict that more will follow suit. We are already witnessing migrant men being arrested for assault and robbery, while migrant women are vulnerable to sex trafficking and resorting to prostitution.
The current migrant crisis highlights the eroding faith that Americans, regardless of their political affiliations, have in our public institutions. New York City cannot resolve this crisis alone. Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have remained silent on this issue. It is imperative that they take responsibility and join us in pressuring President Biden to provide the resources necessary to manage this crisis while simultaneously securing the border to prevent future migrants from overwhelming our city. We must make it clear that New Yorkers will not tolerate our city being used as a massive homeless shelter for Central America. Without intervention from the president and federal authorities, both city residents and migrants will face escalating violence and chaos. Let us remember our values, exercise common sense, and establish an immigration system that allows future Americans to come here legally and safely.
Council Member Robert Holden, representing District 30 in Queens, Queens.
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