New York Mayor Eric Adams has accused Colorado’s Democratic governor of launching an “unfair” plan to send an influx of migrants to the Big Apple.
Jared Polis, Colorado’s Dem governor, called NYC’s mayor Monday night to tell him a large number of migrants were being transported into the city.
Adams publicly criticized the plan Tuesday morning, insisting New York had taken in its fair share of migrants, adding, “There’s no more room at the inn.”
The row marks a rare confrontation between two senior Democrats over the issue of migrants crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Previous arguments have centered on Republican states like Texas, Florida and Arizona, which were sending migrants to Democratic states that were much softer on the problem.
Adams said during a radio appearance Tuesday morning: “We were notified yesterday that the Colorado governor is now declaring that he will be sending migrants to places like New York and Chicago.
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis called New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday night to warn of an influx of migrants from the state
Adams publicly criticized Polis’ plan, insisting New York had taken its fair share of migrants, adding, “There’s no more room at the inn.”
“It’s just unfair that local governments have to take on this national obligation…
“This has really impacted the quality of life in New York and our ability to serve the needs of everyday long-term New Yorkers as they are having during this difficult time. So that needs to be addressed.’
After Adams’ comments, Polis’ office seemed to indicate that there was no new policy. It said the so-called influx was actually due to the recent weather and travel chaos, which has prevented migrants from traveling earlier.
In any case, New York City is poised for a new influx of migrants.
A December 2022 picture shows buses carrying migrants from Texas to New York City
New York City has received thousands of migrants from Republican states in 2022
The prospect of Colorado relocating people to New York City and Chicago is a departure from the typical Democratic leadership approach to migrant housing.
Republican governors in Texas, Florida and Arizona have relocated more than 10,000 migrants to Democratic cities in 2022, a recent analysis by Axios shows.
A statement from the Polis office said that 70 percent of migrants arriving in Denver “do not have Colorado as their final destination” and “have experienced transportation disruptions due to weather and labor shortages.”
Polis said: “No one should play politics with the lives of migrants who came here to escape oppression, and in Colorado we honor our values of treating people with dignity and respect.
“We simply live our values of treating everyone with dignity and respect.
“Coloradans would expect nothing less from us to uphold our shared values of helping people fleeing oppression.
“The stories I have heard first hand from migrants are heartbreaking and we are helping these people through their long and arduous journey.
“States and cities cannot continue to shoulder this burden alone, and Congress needs to stand up — we need an immediate path to work permits and finally enacting better border security and immigration reform.”
Adams said the influx of migrants is “really impacting the quality of life in New York and our ability to meet the needs that everyday, long-term New Yorkers have.”
Officials in Colorado, which isn’t a haven like New York, are working with nonprofit organizations, including those that work specifically with the Venezuelan community, to help migrants reach their “places of choice.”
The apparent deviation from party norms is nothing new for Polis, which is something of an arsonist in democratic circles.
He enforced one of the shortest stay-at-home measures ever implemented by a Dem governor during the Covid lockdowns. He was also less strict about school closures than other Democratic governors.
His libertarian approach to some issues has led him to accuse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Republican figurehead — of “socialism.”
In April 2022, Polis expressed disagreement about DeSantis’ support for legislation that would strip Disney of its special status as a self-governing territory in Florida, which was eventually passed by the state House of Representatives.
Polis then accused DeSantis of using socialist tactics to control the private sector and urged Disney to abandon the Sunshine State and move to Colorado.
Polis, 47, made history when he became the first openly gay governor after winning the state’s gubernatorial race in 2018. In 2021 he married his husband Marlon Reis.
Kate Brown became Oregon’s first bisexual governor when she was elected in 2015, while another governor, New Jersey’s Jim McGreevey, came out as gay before resigning in 2004. Polis was the first openly gay candidate to be elected governor.