New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the city is in urgent need of federal help to cope with an expected surge in asylum-seekers.
With the expiration of Title 42 days away, the federal government should share “plans to move asylum seekers to other cities, to allow asylum seekers to work, and to send aid to the cities that have borne the brunt of this crisis,” Adams said in a statement Sunday.
Title 42 covers pandemic-era border restrictions that blocks many migrants from seeking asylum, and is scheduled to expire on Dec. 21. Adams says he expects more than 1,000 additional asylum-seekers to arrive in New York City each week.
The city has already received more than 31,000 asylum-seekers, leaving its shelter system full and nearly out of money, he added.
“If corrective measures are not taken soon, we may very well be forced to cut or curtail programs New Yorkers rely on, and the pathway to house thousands more is uncertain,” Adams said. “I refuse to be forced to choose new arrivals over current New Yorkers.”
The statement comes ahead of a New York City Council meeting this week examining the city’s response to the arrival of asylum-seekers.
