New York City Mayor Eric Adams blasted a pair of fellow Democrats, the Empire State’s governor, and President Joe Biden for failing to provide additional resources to help his city address the growing number of migrants as Title 42 nears its end.
An email sent by Adams to City Council members and obtained by the New York Post warned of an increased number of illegal immigrants bound for the Big Apple and complained that his requests for state and federal help have been “mostly ignored.”
“Please be advised that due to the lifting of Title 42 later this week, the City is expecting a higher amount of asylum seeker buses beginning today with 2 buses today and 10-15 more expected in the next two days,” the message read.
“We’ve already received more than 31,000 asylum seekers into our city, and currently have open 60 emergency shelters, four humanitarian relief centers, and two welcome centers,” the email continued.
The message also warned of a surge in the number of illegal immigrants expected by bus in the days ahead.
“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,” it added.
New York City previously sent a $1 billion funding request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the assistance of asylum seekers arriving from the southern border. The request is still under review.
The illegal immigrant surge will add to already record-high levels of homeless residents in the city. The Daily Wire previously reported that New York City’s homeless shelter population reached record levels in October, with more than 60,000 people in its shelter system.
“This is not an everyday homelessness crisis, but a humanitarian crisis that requires a different approach, and these humanitarian emergency response centers will take on a multitude of looks with the similarities that they will all help triage and provide immediate support to arriving asylum seekers. We will continue to respond with care and compassion as we deal with this humanitarian crisis made by human hands,” Adams said at the time.
Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows the Border Patrol to turn away illegal immigrants at the border to help stop the spread of COVID, is scheduled to end on Wednesday.
On Friday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied a last-minute lawsuit filed by a group of Republican attorneys general to keep Title 42 in place. While the decision could be appealed to the Supreme Court, it will unlikely change the situation before the December 21 deadline.
Texas Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) warned that the end of the policy would overwhelm the nation far more than the already-high migrant numbers.
“Title 42 is one of the last defense measures used to prevent illegal immigration, and it expires next week. 14,000 illegal aliens a day are expected to pour over our southern border. That’s 5.1 million a year. We no longer have a crisis. It’s a full-scale invasion,” he tweeted.
Title 42 is one of the last defense measures used to prevent illegal immigration, and it expires next week.
14,000 illegal aliens a day are expected to pour over our southern border.
That’s 5.1 million a year.
We no longer have a crisis. It’s a full-scale invasion.
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) December 14, 2022
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also addressed the situation on Sunday during an interview with “This Week” on ABC.
“If the courts do not intervene and put a halt to the removal of Title 42, it’s gonna be total chaos,” Abbott warned. “It’s gonna be catastrophic, not just for Texas, but for the United States of America.”