NYC Mayor Wants Gov. Hochul to Foist Migrants on N.Y. State

New York City Mayor Eric Adams wants Gov. Kathy Hochul to use an executive order to foist migrants on suburban and upstate communities, as well as pay the city $6.5 billion in aid, the New York Post reported.

Adams recommended several state-controlled locations for temporary new shelters in Brentwood, Newburgh, King Parks, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, according to a filing in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday.

"The scale of the crisis ... demands State leadership of a statewide solution," New York City's Law Department wrote.

The lengthy list of sites reportedly includes the Pilgrim Psychiatric Facility, Kings Park Psychiatric Center, the Stewart Air National Guard Base, the Javits Center, Aqueduct Racetrack, a second hanger at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Staten Island Armory, and some dormitories at State University of New York campuses.

The 13-page court document underscores the widening chasm between Adams and Hochul over the best way to handle the more than 100,000 migrants who have arrived in New York City since spring 2022.

The flood of migrants in the Big Apple is expected to double by June 2024 and costs are estimated to rise to $12 billion over the next three years, according to the Post.

More than 1,800 members of the New York National Guard have been deployed to provide logistical and operational support at city-run shelters, and Albany earmarked $1.5 billion to support the city's efforts to shelter migrants.

City hall thanked Hochul for the state's assistance after a hearing Wednesday.

"New York City has moved heaven and earth largely alone to provide care to more than 104,400 asylum seekers asking for shelter," city hall officials told the Post.

"After opening more than 200 emergency sites, we're grateful that Gov. Hochul is eager to collaborate on solutions to this crisis. Our partnership helped secure Floyd Bennett Field as a site to host asylum seekers, and we thank Gov. Hochul for her commitment to pay for that site, as well as for partially funding additional case management services."

In a letter earlier this month, New York's U.S. House Republicans denounced Hochul and Adams for awarding billions in "no-bid" emergency contracts to address the migrant crisis.

Led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., the letter was co-signed by House GOP Chair Elise Stefanik and New York Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Claudia Tenney, Brandon Williams, Anthony D’Esposito, Nick Langworthy, and Marc Molinaro. Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., reportedly was not asked to sign the letter.

Two state contracts worth $1.6 billion in total were awarded to Texas-based firms Garner Environmental Services and Cotton Commercial, according to the GOP lawmakers' letter.