New York City Mayor Eric Adams sent an emergency mutual aid request to state officials Friday in an effort to house 500 asylum seekers this weekend, marking an escalation in his campaign to get state and federal officials to share the burden of providing services.
(Bloomberg) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams sent an emergency mutual aid request to state officials Friday in an effort to house 500 asylum seekers this weekend, marking an escalation in his campaign to get state and federal officials to share the burden of providing services.
“We are at our breaking point,” the mayor said in a written statement. “This type of request, reserved only for dire emergencies, asks the state for support to shelter arriving asylum seekers as the city faces an immediate need for additional capacity.”
Mutual aid agreements are often invoked in order to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, but it wasn’t clear whether those existing agreements would also cover migrant housing.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to the request.
Adams said 835 new asylum seekers arrived in the city last Thursday, bringing the total to 3,100 for the past week. He said the cost of providing services to migrants could reach $1.5 billion to $2 billion — twice the city’s earlier estimates.
The mayor will travel to El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, making several stops at and near the southern border as the crisis worsens. His visit comes a week after Joe Biden also visited El Paso, making his first visit to the border as president.
“We’re looking to potentially have 100,000 people who are going to be in our care in combination of the asylum seekers and those everyday New Yorkers who are dealing with homelessness,” Adams said Friday in an interview with Caribbean Power Jam Radio. “The strain on our infrastructure is just immense. New York City needs help.”
The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless in a joint statement underscored the city’s Right to Shelter mandate, as well as the need for federal and state assistance.
“All levels of government must do their part to ensure that legal obligations are met and all people in need, including asylum seekers, are provided access to safe, decent, and accessible shelter,” the nonprofits said.
There were around 68,500 people sleeping in one of New York City’s shelter system on Jan. 11, the Department of Homeless Service’s daily report said. That includes more than 13,000 families and almost 22,400 children.
Adams said on Jan. 6 that more than 36,000 migrants had passed through the city’s intake system since last spring. He estimated that 24,000 people are still receiving shelter and other services from the city.
“It’s more just a bed to sleep,” he said. “It is food, clothing, education, healthcare, all of these things, and it’s draining the resources of everyday New Yorkers.”
Many of the migrants who were bussed to New York last year have been unable to find consistent work, given that the road to work authorization can be long and precarious. Those who successfully apply for asylum have to wait around six months before they are approved to work legally. Others jockey to make $100 or less in cash through day labor and restaurant jobs.
(Updates with Adams’ visit to El Paso Saturday.)
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