New York City will receive $106 million from the federal government to help offset the cost of the almost 200,000 illegal immigrants that have arrived in the Big Apple over the last two years. New York is struggling with the strain of housing the migrants, an increase in crime as well as projected budget holes caused by the ongoing crisis.
The money is part of a $150 million package promised by the Biden administration last year.
New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom (D) said that the city appreciated “the productive collaboration of our federal partners, and we’ll continue to work closely with them so money can be released. We will continue to advocate for significantly more support, as well as for comprehensive immigration reform.”
The city spent almost $1.5 billion handling the migrant crisis last budget year. The city plans to spend at least $7 billion aiding the migrants in the coming years.
The #BidenBorderCrisis is a national security catastrophe. Earlier this month, Border Patrol caught a terrorist on his way to New York seeking to kill Americans. Biden’s FAILURE to act is exposing our communities to deadly attacks.@NYPost: “Illegal migrant from Lebanon caught… pic.twitter.com/CmoWXUPAhO
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) March 18, 2024
New York City implemented a number of across-the-board budget cuts and Mayor Eric Adams (D) said that the city may have to increase taxes to handle the projected shortfall. The cuts include reductions to the new classes of NYPD officers and to public libraries.
New York has taken in one of the largest share of migrants since the current crisis began. Many politicians in the city and the state supported sanctuary status for the area, arguing that local law enforcement should not participate with potential deportations.
The city has also received thousands of migrants from border states bussed by governments such as Texas, Arizona and Florida.
The city has opened a number of migrant shelters and housed thousands of migrants in hotels and a former airfield.
The crisis in New York comes as more than seven million illegal immigrants are believed to have entered the country since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. This includes more than three million estimated to have entered the country in 2023.
