By Michael V. Cusenza
The prolific Common Sense Caucus of the City Council this week continued to wade deeper into the choppy political waters that buoy the migrant crisis, penning a letter to a Manhattan judge, urging her to ease the burden on New Yorkers by, as caucus Co-Chairman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village) said, reining in the right to shelter.
As of last Wednesday, the Big Apple has provided shelter and care for more than 101,200 asylum seekers that have arrived in the five boroughs since April 2022, according to Mayor Eric Adams. More than 58,000 remain in the City’s care.
“With more than 101,200 asylum seekers arriving in New York City and asking for shelter, our city has now provided shelter and care for more migrants since last year than there are people in Albany,” Adams said. “Our team of thousands of dedicated public servants are working around the clock in the absence of sufficient state and federal support and have pulled off miracles. They have stretched this city’s compassion and capacity beyond imagination, and it is thanks to their efforts that no asylum-seeking families with children have slept on our streets. But, quite honestly, while our compassion is limitless, our resources are not, and we’re out of miracles. We’re grateful for the help we’ve received to this point from our partners in Albany and Washington, DC, but the fact remains that we need more. We need our federal and state partners to ensure that their efforts match the magnitude of this moment. This is a national crisis that demands solutions that extend beyond our city, and New York City cannot continue to manage largely on our own.”
The caucus, which counts area Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) as a vocal member, sent its missive to the Hon. Erika Edwards declaring its support of Adams and the City of New York to allow the administration to cease the right to shelter when it “lacks the resources and capacity to establish and maintain sufficient shelter sites.”
“Our city is long past its breaking point,” the caucus added in its letter.
In a citywide address earlier this month, Adams laid out an updated forecast for how much the asylum seeker crisis could cost the City without increased State and federal support and if circumstances do not change. The City has already spent over $1.73 billion through the end of July and anticipates spending over $4.7 billion in the current fiscal year. Over three fiscal years, the City has the potential to spend upwards of $12 billion on this crisis if circumstances do not change.
As the Common Sense Caucus wrote in its message to Judge Edwards, it’s time for the bench to act.
“Unfortunately, even as duly elected Members of the New York City Council, we do not have the authority to provide a legislative solution to this current crisis. That authority is entirely yours,” the group wrote to the Manhattan Supreme Court jurist.
