New York City Mayor Eric Adams used taxpayer money to send migrants to red states like Texas and Florida, some even as far as South America and China, though he criticized Republican governors for sending them to the Big Apple.
Adams, a Democrat, spent about $50,000 of city money to send 114 migrant households to other parts of the world as the city is inundated by tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
A total of 28 families were sent to Florida, 14 to Texas, some to Colombia, and one family to China. The migrants were allowed to choose where they were sent, reports Politico.
The mayor has previously slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for busing migrants to New York and other locations in the Northeast, in what he called a “political stunt.”
“This was part of a political ploy and we have to understand that,” Adams said on CNN at the time.
“I mean, what was his purpose in sending a planeload to Martha’s Vineyard? “He just felt like he wanted to be part of this horrific act,” he added in a news conference, according to ABC News.
According to Politico, Abbott has sent around 9,700 asylum seekers to New York City. DeSantis has flown about 85 migrants to Massachusetts and California.
Kate Smart, a spokeswoman for the mayor, bizarrely attempted to compare the city’s efforts to those of Florida and Texas.
“New York City, as we’ve discussed very publicly for months, has been working to connect individuals with friends, family and networks, whether in New York City or outside,” Smart said in a statement.
“We’re not forcing people to leave the country, we’re not making suggestions or recommendations for locations, and we’re not presenting any wrong choice. We’re helping people who want to reconnect with their loved ones or communities to do so.”
The city says 78,700 migrants have arrived in New York since last spring, and 48,700 of them are still living in the city’s support system.
Adams, who has called the immigration crisis a “disaster,” has opened 174 shelters and reception centers.
The city is set to spend over $4.3 billion to contain the crisis.
The city says 78,700 migrants have arrived in New York since last spring, and 48,700 of them are still living in the city’s support system
The mayor has previously slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (pictured) for busing migrants to New York and other locations in the Northeast, in what he described as “political.” stunt”.
“I mean, what was his purpose in sending a planeload to Martha’s Vineyard? “He just felt like he wanted to get involved in this horrific act,” Adams said of DeSantis in a news conference
Earlier this year, Adams visited the US-Mexico border and called the situation “a catastrophe” that needs to be addressed at the federal level.
The visit came after governors of Republican-run states like Florida and Texas began busing and flying migrants into New York City in 2022.
In late May, Adams called for migrants to be sent to every major city in America.
Adams reopened many of the city’s closed hotels in late 2022 and early 2023, turning them into migrant shelters to cope with the influx of asylum seekers.
However, on CBS’s Face the Nation, Adams told host Margaret Brennan that it was “not a burden on any city” and suggested a joint solution.
“We have 108,000 towns, villages and small towns,” he said.
“If everyone takes a small portion of it, and if it’s coordinated at the border to make sure those who come to this country lawfully are actually distributed across the country, it’s not a burden on a city.”
Adams has proposed housing migrants in “private housing” to help cope with the influx of economically dependent people into the Big Apple.
Adams reopened many of the city’s closed hotels in late 2022 and early 2023, turning them into migrant shelters to cope with the influx of asylum seekers
Earlier this year, Adams visited the US-Mexico border and called the situation “a catastrophe” that needs to be addressed at the federal level
The statement came as Adams announced a partnership with New York City places of worship to provide housing for migrants across the city.
“My vision is to take the next step to those religious places and then move into a private home… You have vacancies,” Adams said Monday afternoon.
Adams said that when the church program is fully operational, it hopes to be able to accommodate up to 1,000 asylum seekers at a time.