Hochul presses Biden to fund migrant housing and social services: ‘Shouldered this burden for too long’

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered a public address Thursday calling on the White House to take executive action to combat the ongoing illegal migrant crisis.

In her address, Hochul emphasized the need to integrate migrants into New York City through work and housing initiatives, requesting President Biden’s administration to invest heavily in settling the communities of asylum seekers.

“I’m fully aware that New Yorkers are concerned that over the past year, more than 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in our state, requiring a historic humanitarian response,” Hochul said. “Moments ago, I issued a letter to the Biden administration formally requesting that it take executive action to address New York’s migrant crisis.”

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks in a livestreamed public address regarding the ongoing migrant crisis on Thursday. (Office of the Governor of New York)

Hochul elaborated, “What we’ve said all along is just let them work and help us out financially. That’s why today I have sent a letter to President Biden formally requesting immediate executive action in four key areas. First, expedited work authorization, so we can get these people out of shelters and into the jobs. Financial support, federal housing vouchers, schools, health care, legal services, case and shelter for us to provide to these asylum seekers.”

The governor saud that the migrant crisis “originated with the federal government” and “must be resolved through the federal government,” but claimed that the state’s “countless unfilled jobs” provided a prime opportunity to integrate border crossers. 

“We are ready to act as soon as these migrants receive work. But right now, because we’ve been waiting a very long time, the State Department of Labor, we are launching a new program this September to place asylum seekers in jobs just as soon as they’re legally able to work,” Hochul announced. “And we’re going to go a step further. And I’m ordering the Department of Labor to proactively connect asylum seekers with potential employers in anticipation of them receiving the work authorization before they are already authorized.”

NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL SLAMS MAYOR ADAMS’ MIGRANT RESPONSE IN 12-PAGE LETTER

Migrants are seen sleeping outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan on July 31, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

Hochul blamed the influx of illegal immigrants to the city on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has made a point of transporting migrants to Democrat-run cities across the country to ease the crisis at the southern border.

“It started at our nation’s southern border when Governor of Texas Greg Abbott made the despicable decision to load migrants onto buses and shipped them out to score cheap political points, treating these individuals as pawns,” Hochul said. “Since that time, the state has deployed enormous resources toward New York City’s valiant efforts to shelter and support these nearly 100,000 migrants who have already arrived here.”

The governor compared the migrants to her own Irish grandfather, an immigrant who came to the U.S. and worked on a farm as a laborer to establish himself — saying that New York has always been among the premier destinations for immigrants seeking to set up a new life in the country. 

Migrants gather outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, where dozens of recently arrived migrants have been camping out as they try to secure temporary housing.

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Hochul also acknowledged New York City’s unique legal outline, struck in 1981, that mandates the city must provide shelter for anyone who seeks it. She assured the public this special status would not be imposed on or affect other counties in the state.

Earlier this month, Hochul slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ response to the migrant crisis in a 12-page letter sent to the mayor’s office.

Hochul’s lawyer, Faith E. Gay, accused the city of being slow to make timely requests for regulatory changes or inform the state of crucial decisions.