NYC migrant crisis: Hochul says she had 'productive' talk with Biden
NEW YORK - It was a last-minute meeting, according to Governor Kathy Hochul, but she finally was able to speak with President Joe Biden on the migrant crisis.
"I felt was a very productive conversation," Hochul said. "That's all I'm going to say."
The governor says she was attending a reception the President was holding and was told at the last minute that she would have the opportunity to speak with Biden about the migrant crisis.
Hochul says she reiterated many of the same proposals she has outlined before, but would not say if any promises were made.
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Some other proposals include expanding the right to shelter mandate so that every county in New York is required to house migrants, and using the economic uncertainties fund, which has currently amassed over $13 billion.
"That’s all I'm able to share right now," Hochul said.
When asked why Mayor Eric Adams was not included in this meeting?
"There was no formal meeting that he was left out of," Hochul insisted. "It was just an opportunity, as I do every chance I get, to make my case on behalf of our state."
President Biden was in town Monday through Wednesday but did not make the time to meet with Adams.
On Good Day New York, Adams suggested that the reason he was left out of the meeting with Hochul and Biden was because he doesn’t have the ability to sugarcoat the challenges brought on by the migrant influx.
"There’s an authentic communication style that I have and sometimes that offends people," Adams said. "But I'm not going to be dishonest to New Yorkers and finding a word in a thesaurus that makes you sound politically correct. We are in trouble."
On Tuesday night, the city opened a new migrant shelter for families with children at a former elderly care center on Staten Island.
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The NYPD was called to Father Capodanno Boulevard for reports of crowd control issues. Ten people were taken into custody.
Local residents tried to block the bus carrying migrants into the shelter, many immediately becoming aggressive with police.
According to the NYPD, they arrested nine people for disorderly conduct and one person for combative behavior with an officer.
Adams condemned these actions.
"I'm very clear of the frustration and anger and New Yorkers have expressed that, but they're not banging on the doors of buses," Adams said. "We’re managing this crisis, but we're not going to deal with violence. And we're not going to do it with hateful terminologies spewed at individuals."
More than 113,000 migrants have flooded the city since last spring with nearly 60,000 currently in the city’s care.