Staten Island judge to issue ruling on migrant shelter case, uncertainty looms
STATEN ISLAND - A frustrated Mayor Eric Adams expressed outrage on Thursday when asked about the federal government’s criticism of his handling of the migrant crisis.
"A crisis that is created nationally, we're looking at a local city to solve," Adams said, directed towards the federal government. "Is that what you're trying to say to me?"
Earlier this week, White House officials held a briefing and said that the city is not doing a good enough job of tracking migrants and their asylum claims.
Adams says this is rich coming from the people who he believes created this problem.
The Adams administration estimates that the migrant crisis will cost the city $12 billion by July 2025.
More than 113,000 migrants have passed through New York City since last year, with nearly 60,000 migrants still in the city’s care.
NYC migrant crisis: Officials ramp up efforts as asylum seekers await work permits
Once an asylum claim is submitted, the 6-month clock can start for migrants to receive a work permit.
In light of this, Adams is ordering city agencies to cut their budgets 15 percent by next year if more federal aid doesn’t arrive.
To date, the federal government has allocated just under $150 million to aid the city in the migrant crisis.
"You got a $5 billion deficit you have to take out of the household of New York City," Adams said.
Meanwhile, a judge on Staten Island decided to postpone a ruling that will decide if migrants can continue to live at the St John’s Villa academy which has been turned into a migrant shelter.
The case will ultimately decide if the Mayor has the authority to declare the migrant crisis an emergency.
If the judge determines the mayor does not have this power - then this could mean that other migrant shelters are at risk of being shut down as well.
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Senator Andrew Lanza who is part of this legal challenge argues this might at least slow the flow of migrants into the state.
"More people are looking around saying, hey, go to Staten Island, get a free house, go to New York, you get a free house, of course people around the world are figuring out a way to get here," Senator Lanza said.
The judge will issue a written ruling in this case, but has not said when that might be.