Eric Adams' brand new song: How NYC mayor went from 'sanctuary city' to 'destroyed city' despite being warned
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Mayor Eric Adams sounded a dire warning last week, cautioning the nation about the impending threat posed by the ongoing migrant crisis. However, the New York Democrat's stance today starkly contrasts with his position just a year ago.
Mayor Adams' perspective a year ago
In August last year, Adams visited the Port Authority to personally welcome a busload of asylum seekers sent from Texas by Republican Governor Gregg Abbott.
At that time, Abbott argued that progressive cities should share the responsibility and costs associated with the increasing influx of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border.
Speaking to reporters during that welcoming event, Mayor Adams asserted, "As the Mayor of New York, I have a duty to provide services to families that are here, and that's exactly what we're going to do. It's our responsibility as a city, and I'm proud that this is a Right to Shelter state, and we will continue to uphold that."
However, as the months passed, the influx of asylum seekers continued, leading Adams to seek federal and state assistance desperately.
He even requested a judge to suspend the Right to Shelter policy as the city grappled with accommodating the staggering 110,000 asylum seekers who had arrived since the spring of the previous year.
In May, Mayor Adams made significant modifications to the long-standing 'Right to Shelter' law, which guaranteed a bed to anyone in need within the city.
These changes were implemented as the city appealed for federal and state aid to manage the influx of migrants, which Adams now contends could have catastrophic consequences for New York.
Through Executive Order 402, Adams suspended certain provisions of the law, no longer obligating the city to provide individual rooms for migrant families. Instead, they could redirect them to communal shelters.
Escalation of the migrant crisis
By July, Adams found himself in the unenviable position of announcing that the city had reached its capacity to accommodate more migrants. He even discussed distributing flyers at the US-Mexico border, advising newly arrived migrants to "consider another city."
This abrupt shift in stance by Mayor Adams is particularly noteworthy considering his campaign promises that New York City would remain a sanctuary city under his administration. In 2021, he emphatically stated, "We should protect our immigrants. Period."
However, despite his intentions, the city remains legally obligated to provide shelter to those who request it. Consequently, Adams has scrambled to find temporary solutions, turning to various city landmarks, makeshift shelters, and temporary housing arrangements.
Currently, the city finds itself responsible for nearly 60,000 migrants, including approximately 21,000 migrant children starting the new school year. As schools opened their doors for the academic year, some institutions were forced to turn away students due to overflowing classrooms.
Mayor Adams' brand new song
The migrant crisis has cast a long shadow over Adams' tenure as mayor, which began in January 2022. In a sobering assessment on Wednesday, September 6, the former police officer warned that the problem was escalating and showed no signs of abating.
"We're receiving 10,000 migrants each month," he stated gravely. "Now, we're seeing individuals from all corners of the world who have made up their minds to cross the southern border and enter New York City."
Adams went on to express his deep concern, saying, "Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I faced a problem for which I couldn't envision a solution. But I cannot see an end to this. This issue has the potential to destroy New York City. To destroy New York City."
Despite Mayor Adams' fervent appeals for assistance from state and federal authorities, the city has not yet received aid to cover the additional costs incurred.
As a result, the proposed $4.7 billion expenditure would come directly from the city's budget, an amount equivalent to the combined budgets of the city's sanitation, fire, and parks departments.
Buses full of migrants keep arriving
In the midst of this crisis, buses filled with migrants continue to arrive, with at least four buses unloading passengers at Port Authority within just two days.
While officials have not disclosed the exact number of hotel rooms designated for migrant accommodation, experts in the hotel industry estimate that it could be as many as 10,000. Prominent hotels in Manhattan, such as the Roosevelt Hotel, Paul Hotel, and Paramount Hotel, have been designated to house migrants.
Long lines of predominantly male migrants from Africa can now be seen outside these iconic locations.
City officials in New York have been sounding the alarm for months regarding their inability to effectively manage the situation. Adams himself has stated that his office estimates the issue will cost the city an astonishing $12 billion over a mere three-year period.
In response to the mounting challenges, Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency in the fall, consistently characterizing the situation as a "humanitarian crisis." Despite his repeated requests for increased federal funding, Adams expressed disappointment in President Biden's response, publicly accusing him of "failing" the city.
Rising crime and reduced overtime
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation is the recent revelation that overtime for NYPD (New York Police Department) officers will be curtailed to help fund the city's response to the migrant crisis. This decision has been made even as law enforcement contends with rising crime rates that remain higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Mayor Adams' budget director, Jacques Jiha, has instructed the city's four uniformed agencies (NYPD, FDNY, DOC/DSNY) to develop plans for reducing their overtime costs.
Jiha stated that the mayor would issue a directive to implement an overtime reduction initiative for these agencies, with monthly reports to track progress toward meeting reduction targets, the New York Post reported.
The situation at the southern border has worsened, particularly after the expiration of Title 42, a Trump-era border policy that granted authorities greater powers to detain individuals.
Its termination in May coincided with a surge in illegal border crossings, with the number of such crossings exceeding 10,000 on the day the policy expired and remaining at that level for days and weeks on end.