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“Governor Hochul has been a partner in subway safety, in crime and in many things,” Eric Adams said Tuesday. “But I think the governor is wrong on this issue.” Hochul’s spokeswoman said Tuesday it was “unfortunate that the mayor chose to point the finger at the state” instead of focusing on solutions. asylum seekers now drives a wedge between New York’s most powerful leaders.
NEW YORK — Tensions over New York City’s escalating immigration crisis escalated once again Tuesday as Mayor Eric Adams came out loudest yet at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s handling of the situation.
In remarks at New York Law School, Adams publicly and bluntly called Hochul’s stance on asylum seekers incorrect. The governor has rejected the mayor’s request to relocate immigrants to communities across the state, thereby spreading the burden more evenly.
“Governor Hochul has been a partner in subway security, in crime and in many things,” he said Tuesday. “But I think the governor is wrong on this issue.”
Several suburban regions, inside and outside of New York City, have resisted the idea of creating migrant shelters to house the tens of thousands who have traveled to the country. Hochul has backed them thus far, citing New York City’s exclusive right to receive refugee status as a reason for the continued influx of asylum seekers to the five boroughs.
“She is the governor of the state of New York. New York City is in that state. Every county in this state should be a part of this,” added the mayor.
Last week, Hochul set out his position on the matter.
“In 1981, the City of New York and the Coalition for the Homeless signed an agreement whereby the city would provide shelter to anyone who sought it. This is an agreement that does not apply to the other 57 counties in the state, which is one reason we cannot and will not force other parts of the state to house immigrants,” he said.
His spokesman said Tuesday it was “unfortunate that the mayor chose to point the finger at the state” rather than focus on solutions.
The very public disagreement between Hochul and Adams is overshadowing their joint discontent with the White House. Both the mayor and governor have consistently called on President Joe Biden for federal aid to help house migrants and expedited work permits, which would allow asylum seekers to get jobs and pay their own expenses.
So far, the White House has not acceded to those requests.
The nonprofit Partnership for New York City, which represents hundreds of business leaders, stressed that Adams and Hochul agree on much more than they don’t disagree.
“We can’t handle what is a federal issue and I think that’s the key issue here. I don’t find any distance between the mayor and the governor on that issue,” said Kathryn Wylde, president of the nonprofit organization.
This week, more than 100 New York City business executives joined President Biden in writing to urge him to seize control of the border and expedite work permits for immigrants, citing labor shortages in various industries. .
Meanwhile, the Biden administration sent its own letters to both Adams and Hochul, highlighting steps taken by the federal government to alleviate the crisis and also criticizing “structural and operational problems” in the way the City Council has treated dozens of thousands of asylum seekers.
Public spats were commonplace between former Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, but Adams and Hochul have mostly been in unison. That is so far.
The influx of more than 100,000 asylum seekers is now driving a wedge between New York’s most powerful leaders.
2023-08-30 06:33:05
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