New York City, facing an unprecedented surge of nearly 200,000 migrants since mid-2022, has spent over $5 billion to manage the crisis, making it the nation's most affected city as it grapples with the fallout from the ongoing border situation, the Washington Examiner reported.
New York's Humanitarian Crisis Response Tracker reported that the city expended $4.8 billion from July to June in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years. According to a recent New York Post analysis, an additional $112 million has likely been spent since the start of fiscal 2025 on July 1, bringing the total expenditures to over $5 billion.
In 2024 alone, New York spent $3.43 billion — more than double the $1.45 billion spent in 2023. The bulk of the spending, nearly $2 billion, was allocated to housing, rent, and initial outfitting costs.
Another $1.9 billion went toward services and supplies, with information technology and administrative expenses totaling $488 million. The city also faced $345 million in food costs and $124 million in medical expenses.
The city's Health and Hospitals Department and its Department of Homeless Services were the largest spenders, collectively disbursing nearly $4 billion.
To accommodate the growing number of migrants, the city has established over 200 temporary shelters. It has taken over several hotels, including the City View Inn, Springhill Suites by Marriott, and the Roosevelt Hotel, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.
Initially, New York operated under its Right to Shelter law, which guaranteed a bed to anyone in need. However, as the migrant numbers swelled, the city imposed limits on how long people could stay in city-funded housing.
The surge of migrants in New York was driven in part by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's initiative to provide free bus transportation for migrants in Texas to alleviate the strain on local resources amid the mass crossings and releases into Texas border towns. Since April 2022, Texas has sent approximately 45,900 migrants to New York, representing about 1 in 5 of the 212,000 migrants who have arrived.
Republican Joseph Borelli, the minority leader of the New York City Council, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee last September. At that time, the city anticipated spending $12 billion over three years to manage the migrant crisis.
Although the number of migrants crossing the southern border has significantly decreased since its peak last December — when nearly 250,000 were arrested by Border Patrol agents — cities across the country, including New York, continue to grapple with the long-term impact of this unprecedented influx. In July, preliminary data revealed that migrant arrests had fallen below 60,000, suggesting a potential easing of the pressure on cities as fewer new arrivals seek assistance.