(AmericanProsperity.com) – New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams complained on August 17 about the growing migrant population in the Big Apple, even though this is one of the so-called sanctuary cities in the country. During a press conference, Adams said that the migrant crisis is a national and “state-wide issue” that authorities “unjustly dropped” in the city.
In another part of the press conference, the Democratic leader said that residents are struggling because of this crisis. He also noted that even when New York City only represents 0.05 percent o the New York state’s entire land mass, the Big Apple houses “over 99 percent of the migrants.”
The city officially became a sanctuary city in 1989 under the liberal administration of Ed Koch, who wanted to guarantee that all asylum seekers in the city could receive medical care and enroll their children in public schools freely. A couple of years later, police officers and other city employees were prohibited from asking migrants about their legal status.
Back in 2014, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio reduced the cooperation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the city. Many Republican leaders criticized this decision as they claimed would allow some migrants who were involved in criminal acts not to face justice.
After being elected, Adams said on his Twitter account that the Big Apple would remain a sanctuary city under his Democratic administration. When facing criticism on this matter, he always said that the main goal was to protect “our migrants.”
As one of the few US cities that offer a “right to shelter,” New York City is legally obliged to provide beds to anyone who needs them. According to a Politico July report, while this policy was originally aimed at the homeless population, this has been reinterpreted to house over 55,000 migrants.
Different reports pointed out that the situation is currently so chaotic that Adams authorized the publication of numerous “No Vacancy” fliers all across the city. He even authorized the distribution of some fliers that asked migrants to settle somewhere else in the country.
Copyright 2023, AmericanProsperity.com
