(NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday declared a state of emergency due to an influx of migrants who had been busted into the city by politicians in other states.
“It’s an ‘all hands on deck’ moment,” Adams said, NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 reported.
More than 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city since April, according to news release. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, both Republicans, have sent bus full of migrants to asylum citylike New York. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also flies in migrants from his country to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
As previously reported by NewsNation, many criticized the governor for what they say is a violent political stunt. Abbott has defended his actionsthough, arguing that larger cities are better equipped than smaller towns along the border to handle the number of migrants arriving.
However, NYC officials say they ran out of space in city-run shelters and hotels. The Adams Administration, the news release said, estimates that the city is on track to surpass the highest number of people recorded in its shelter system. If the rate of migrants coming to the city continues, the city’s census of shelters will be more than 100,000 in the coming year, officials said.
During a 15-minute speech broadcast from City Hall, Adams said New York City’s budget is expected to reach $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year.
“We needed help, and we need it now,” Adams said in his speech.
City agencies including the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, as well as organizations such as the Hispanic Federation, the United Way and the New York Immigration Coalition have worked with migrants, Adams said.
“But while our compassion is limitless, our resources are not,” he added.
In the next few weeks, the city will open a Humanitarian Relief and Response Center on Randall Island which the mayor says will safely house “hundreds” of migrants.
“I will be there to welcome them and stay with them, to hear their stories,” Adams said. “But unless we take immediate action, the center will be full in a few days. And we’ll have to open another and another and another, even when winter comes.”
Noting this, Adams sought assistance from the federal and state governments of New York.
“From our federal partners, we need legislation that allows these asylum seekers to work legally – now, not in six months. And we need a realistic decompression strategy at the border that will slow the outflow of asylum seekers,” Adams said. “We need a coordinated effort to move asylum seekers to other cities in the country to make sure everyone is doing their part, and Congress must pass emergency financial assistance to our city and others. Finally, we need a bipartisan effort to provide long-standing immigration eagerly awaited reform, so that we can offer people a safe and legal path to the American Dream.”
From the state, said Adams, they needed emergency financial assistance. Adams said the city was working with the governor’s office to identify additional locations for help centers and staff resources.
“We need them to come now,” he said. “We need the state to act with the urgency this situation demands.”
Local affiliate NewsNation PIX11 contributed to this article.