New York Democratic Mayor Eric Adams says he is limited in what he can do to address the migrant crisis that has crippled the city’s welfare system.
Adams suggested that New York’s sanctuary city laws and other policies that have allowed migrants to take advantage of the city’s welfare system have curbed his ability to act, according to Fox News.
“We’re not just saying we’re out of room as a soundbite. We’re out of room, literally. People are going to be eventually sleeping on the streets,” he told FOX 5 New York’s Rosanna Scotto.
When asked what Adams could do about the flood of migrants entering the city, the mayor demurred. He said the legal system has restricted his options and forced his decisions on key issues.
“The law states that we cannot notify [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. I cannot break the law and enforce the law. I can’t deport. I can’t stop people from coming in, repeated criminal behavior, I can’t report to ICE for deportation. So, there’s certain things I can’t do,” Adams responded.
Adams said the migrant crisis that is straining the city’s infrastructure is “unfair to New Yorkers.”
“Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not,” Adams said. “It’s not like New York is not saying we are not a city of immigrants. We are. We have a rich history of immigrants, but we can’t take the global problem and it become our problem. That is unfair to New Yorkers, and is unfair to migrants.”
Adams was hit with a lawsuit on Wednesday as New York City has struggled to house tens of thousands of homeless immigrants. A new law, put in place after the city council overrode a veto from Adams, expands the city’s housing voucher program as thousands of people are looking for space in the city’s shelters, according to The New York Times.
Legal Aid Society, a group that represents low-income New Yorkers, filed a class action lawsuit against Adams accusing the mayor of not expanding the voucher program as the new law requires.
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“The Adams administration’s refusal to implement the law is unacceptable, and the City must take immediate action to ensure that the thousands of New Yorkers who are experiencing or are on the brink of homelessness and who are now eligible for CityFHEPS can secure safe, long-term and affordable housing,” Legal Aid attorney Robert Desir stated.
Adams said in a press conference on Tuesday that the city cannot afford to pay for the reforms to the expanded voucher program.