'Help is not coming': NYC mayor shares dire message as his city struggles to manage migrants

In sad remarks made Friday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams admitted that the Biden administration has abandoned him amid the migrant crisis.

The remarks came a day after he traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with White House officials and congressional leaders to ask for more money to deal with the expanding migrant crisis in NYC.

“As you know, yesterday I was in Washington D.C. to meet with our congressional leaders and to meet with the White House. And I wanted to take the opportunity at the White House celebration for the holiday season because I knew I would have the gathering of lawmakers or mayors from across the country and I was able to speak with the mayor of Chicago and leaders from Massachusetts and others,” he said.

“And we’re seeing the same thing across the entire country. Our residents are weary, our residents are angry, our residents are seeing the impact of the migrant and asylum seeker issue, how it is taking away from the resources that should go to the day‑to‑day services of running the city,” he added.

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But tragically, he continued, there’s no cavalry coming to save the day for either him or any other mayor who’s facing a migrant crisis.

“We did not walk out from D.C. with any level of optimism that anything is going to drastically change. It is clear that for the time being, this crisis is going to be carried by the cities,” he explained.

He went on to talk about the budget cuts the city is now facing because of the migrant crisis.

“Here in New York City, as you know, we had a very painful November plan that we had to produce, and now we’re looking forward for the direction of how do we address a $7 billion budget deficit that we have to address in January,” he said.

“And these men and women behind me who are service providers in some way or another, they see firsthand what these cuts are doing and will do. This is not the budget we want to pass. The budget we wanted to pass clearly invested in children and families and those who are in need. We are at an untenable situation right now,” he added.

Adams also addressed a Quinnipiac poll published Wednesday that found his approval rating to be just 28 percent, the lowest ever recorded for a New York City mayor, by suggesting it’s the Biden administration fault.

Nearly 60% of registered local voters said they disapproved of Adams’ job performance, versus 28% who said they approved.https://t.co/1ACfUMMusS

— WNYC (@WNYC) December 6, 2023

“[The migrant crisis] is painful for us. It is painful for the city. And I think that you see it being reflected in the polls. It is because our federal government actions have taken a toll on the people of this city,” he said.

“We’re going to continue to do our job in this administration, but these are extremely challenging times. And as I left Washington D.C., I did not leave with optimism, I left with the cold reality that help is not on the way in the immediate future. It is going to be, at this moment, it’s going to be up to New Yorkers and this administration to continue to navigate this challenge that we’re facing. Okay. Thank you,” he concluded.

The only good news for Adams is that the same Quinnipiac poll that found his approval rating to be low also found that most New Yorkers share his concerns about the migrant crisis.

“The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that 85 percent of New York City voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned that the city will not be able to accommodate the surge in migrants who have sought sanctuary in the city. City officials have been sounding the alarm on the migrant crisis for months, warning that they do not have the resources to meet the demand,” The Hill reported Wednesday.

“In addition, 62 percent of voters said they agreed with New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s statement from September, where he said that an influx of migrants will ‘destroy’ the city. Another 33 percent said they disagreed,” the outlet added.

What’s not clear is why New Yorkers are also blaming Adams for the migrant crisis when he’s just as frustrated about it as them, and when he’s been making legitimate efforts to push the migrants out of the city.

For example, in October he had the city set up a “reticketing center” where migrants may pick up a free one-way airplane ticket to any destination they desire.

Don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here: NYC setting up ‘reticketing center for migrants’ https://t.co/jXZHowANHx via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) October 28, 2023

“With no sign of a decompression strategy in the near future, we have established a reticketing center for migrants. Here, the city will redouble efforts to purchase tickets for migrants to help them take the next steps in their journeys,” City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said in a statement at the time.

It was a desperate move designed to alleviate the stress that the city is facing from the influx of so many migrants over the past couple of months. But it was also designed to help the migrants reach their family members before winter arrives and they’re stuck out on the streets.

“I cannot say this enough. You know, we are out of the room. And it’s not ‘if’ people will be sleeping on the streets, it’s when. We are at full capacity,” Adams told reporters at the time.

“When you are out of room, that means you’re out of room. Every year, my relatives show up for Thanksgiving, and they want to all sleep at my house. There’s no more room. That’s where we are right now,” he added.

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Vivek Saxena

Senior Staff Writer -- [email protected]
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.

V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.

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