Eric Adams warns city may have to prioritize new influx of immigrants over New Yorkers

This article was originally written by Brady Knox for the Washington Examiner and can be found on their website here.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned that the city may have to embrace service cuts in order to prioritize a new influx of immigrants over native New Yorkers, in light of the coming expiration of Title 42.

The expiration of Title 42 immigration restrictions on Dec. 21 has officials around the country worrying about the impact of another surge of immigrants on an already strained immigration system, including New York City, which has been the destination of dozens of buses of immigrants sent by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) in order to relieve the burden of the border crisis.

By Adams's own admission, the city has received more than 31,000 immigrants over the course of this year. In response, emergency services have had to open 60 emergency shelters, four humanitarian relief centers, and two welcome centers, at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

As the expiration of Title 42 approaches, Adams announced in a statement that the city is unprepared for a further influx, and needs extensive federal assistance if it is to avoid having to cut other services for native New Yorkers.

“The flow of asylum-seekers to New York City has slowed in recent months but the tool that the federal government has used to manage those coming over the border is set to expire this week, and we have been told in no uncertain terms that, beginning today, we should expect an influx of buses coming from the border and that more than 1,000 additional asylum-seekers will arrive in New York City every week," a statement from his office said. "We are in urgent need for help, and it’s time for our state and federal partners to act — especially those in Congress who refuse to provide the financial resources or issue temporary work authorizations necessary for these individuals to live properly. New York City has managed this crisis entirely on its own."

He added: "Our shelter system is full, and we are nearly out of money, staff, and space. Truth be told, 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. ... These are not choices we want to make, but they may become necessary, and I refuse to be forced to choose new arrivals over current New Yorkers. I’ll say it again — we need a plan, we need assistance, and we need it now."

He also bashed "both Republicans and Democrats" in Congress who he claims have "refused to lift a finger" to help manage the crisis.

At the current rate of immigration, the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border in the last fiscal year will reach 5 million, equivalent to adding seven new states, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming, Javier Palomarez, founder and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council, told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. That number is expected to increase dramatically with the expiration of Title 42 on Wednesday.