Migrant influx will cost NYC $1B this year, mayor says

NEW YORK - The mayor of New York City has declared a state of emergency and is calling for emergency aid from the federal and state governments to deal with an influx of migrants.

Mayor Eric Adams says the city projects costs of more than $1 billion related to asylum seekers in this fiscal year.

"Thousands of asylum seekers have been bused into New York City and simply dropped off, without notice, coordination, or care — and more are arriving every day," Adams said on Friday.

Mayor Adams says hundreds of buses have arrived in New York from Texas. That number has averaged five to six buses a day since September. On Thursday alone, at least nine buses arrived.

City officials anticipate surpassing the highest recorded shelter census in recorded history on Friday.

The mayor is directing city agencies to coordinate their efforts to respond to what he calls a "humanitarian crisis" in the city.

More than 17,000 asylum seekers have been bussed to the city since the spring.

There are more than 61,000 people in the city's shelter system. If the current pace of arriving migrants continues, the number of people in the city’s shelter system will surpass 100,000 in the coming year. 

The city is currently using 42 hotels as emergency shelters.

It also has set up a navigation center to connect asylum seekers with what are deemed critical resources.

More than 5,500 migrant children have been enrolled in public schools.

The city is opening at least one Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall's Island to assist asylum seekers arriving with immediate needs and help them reach their final desired destination.

Our right-to-shelter laws, our social services, and our values are being exploited by others for political gain.

"The time for aid to New York City is now. We need help from the federal government, help from the State of New York," Adams said.