Our Immigration Crisis: A Call for Swift and Decisive Action
Our nation’s broken immigration system has now evolved into a full-blown crisis, with the collapse of the asylum process. The Biden administration’s failure to address this urgent issue is resulting in severe consequences for cities that are bearing the burden of a system they did not create and borders they do not control. It is crucial for the White House to recognize the political damage that this crisis will inflict on Democrats in the upcoming 2024 elections if immediate and effective action is not taken.
The number of individuals seeking asylum at the southern border has steadily increased under both President Donald Trump and President Biden. The partial border wall has proven ineffective in slowing down the flow of asylum seekers. It is clear that both political parties contributed to the creation of this issue and both must come together to find a solution.
One of the key issues is that current federal law hinders asylum seekers who have been admitted into the United States from immediately seeking employment. The process of obtaining work authorization can take a year or longer, leaving asylum seekers without means to pay rent and provide for themselves and their families. This leads to enforced poverty and vagrancy, a disheartening situation for individuals who have displayed tremendous courage and determination in embarking on a perilous journey for the opportunity to work and build a better life.
In cities like New York, the situation is particularly challenging due to a 1981 legal settlement that obligates the city to provide shelter to all homeless residents seeking it. However, this agreement was never intended to accommodate an overwhelming influx of refugees, which is what the city is now facing. Despite the city’s commendable efforts to swiftly find shelter for over 100,000 asylum seekers who have arrived since last spring, the cost to taxpayers is staggering, with nightly expenses of $383, amounting to billions of dollars annually. Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been appealing for federal support for months to handle this overwhelming surge of asylum seekers, but with little success.
New York is not the only city grappling with this issue. Cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, and Denver are also experiencing an influx of asylum seekers who lack housing and legal means to earn an income. Meanwhile, the federal government is failing to provide the necessary resources to process asylum cases in a timely manner, with wait times extending to six or seven years for resolution.
Let’s consider the absurdity of our current system: we allow an unlimited number of individuals to cross our borders, prohibit them from working, provide free housing, and grant them seven years of residency before determining their legal status. It is difficult to envision a more counterproductive and regressive system.
America has always been a nation of immigrants because we offer opportunities for a better life. To deny immigrants the chance to work and force them to rely on public assistance goes against the principles that make this country great. It not only harms the refugees themselves but also poses a threat to our nation, especially at a time when many businesses are struggling with labor shortages.
Critics who focus on Mayor Adams’s recent remarks that the crisis will “destroy” the city seem more interested in sensationalism than in addressing the underlying problem. Resolving this crisis will certainly be challenging, particularly with a divided Congress. However, ignoring it will only worsen the situation and bolster the political fortunes of those who espouse xenophobic views, while eroding public support for immigration reform.
It is imperative for Congress and the president to collaborate and allocate the necessary resources and implement policy changes to restore the integrity of the asylum process. This entails creating a system that is compassionate, fair, just, practical, rational, and humane.
Compassion should guide our approach to the asylum process. While our refugee laws were originally designed to aid those displaced by World War II and those escaping repressive Communist regimes, they are now being utilized by individuals fleeing economic hardship and gang violence. While their circumstances might be heart-wrenching, we must ensure that our asylum process is structured in a way that prioritizes those escaping war and state persecution.
Fairness should be a core principle in our immigration system. Respect should be accorded to those who adhere to the correct channels to obtain a visa. Circumventing established immigration pathways only serves to diminish incentives for individuals to follow the rules.
Justice delayed is justice denied. Congress must furnish the administration with the necessary resources to expedite the resolution of asylum claims within days or weeks, rather than years.
Practicality is crucial in tackling this crisis. If the U.S. government grants asylum, it should also grant the right to work. This is the American way, and countless generations of immigrants have built their livelihoods through hard work. President Biden should exercise his executive authority to enable more individuals to work, and work alongside Congress to ensure that all asylum seekers have the opportunity to do so.
Our housing costs cannot be shouldered by taxpayers alone. It is unreasonable to expect taxpayers to provide shelter for every person who arrives in the country each year. Mayor Adams is correct in his efforts to update New York City’s consent decree to address this issue, and the Biden administration should collaborate with mayors nationwide who recognize the potential of refugees to revitalize local economies.
When the federal government admits asylum seekers, it should not leave local governments to bear the burden alone. Cities require federal assistance to help connect asylum seekers, many of whom arrive with nothing, to employment, housing, and critical services.
Addressing this crisis in a manner that aligns with our nation’s history and values is the most effective way to support asylum seekers, assist cities, and prevent the rise of xenophobic ideologies.
It is incumbent upon Congress and the president to work together to secure the necessary resources and implement policy changes that will rectify the flaws in our asylum process. By doing so, we can reaffirm our commitment to providing refuge to those in need, while upholding the principles and ideals that have defined America since its inception.
Michael R. Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) is the founder of Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies, served as mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013, and was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
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