On Monday, July 31, I joined a press conference of elected Democrats from New York calling on President Biden to help our city with the unprecedented disaster we call “the migrant crisis.”

I am glad more of my elected colleagues, even the open-border progressives, are waking up to the fact that New York must fend for itself as tens of thousands of migrants flood our streets and crowd our homeless shelters.

Unfortunately, we are paying the price for calling ourselves a “sanctuary city,” a position I opposed both as a civic leader and now as a member of the New York City Council. 

The number of migrants in the city is staggering and increasing by the day. When I wrote in these pages back in April about the migrants, about 55,000 had arrived in our city.

Only four months later, city agencies have processed nearly 100,000 migrants and at least 56,200 of them are being housed and fed by our social service agencies.

This means that out of approximately 100,000 total homeless individuals in New York City, more than half are migrants.

Make no mistake, resources that would otherwise go to our homeless New Yorkers are going to migrants. We’re told that migrants will cost taxpayers $4.2 billion by next year, but this will obviously increase as the crisis continues.

The city awarded a no-bid $432 million contract just to help us get migrants relocated to different cities. As my colleagues noted at the press conference, this is not sustainable. 

Councilman Robert Holden and other New York City Democrats are calling on President Biden to help the city with the migrant crisis.REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Unfortunately, the president’s open border policies led to this catastrophe. In his first year in office, Biden issued nearly 300 executive orders tied to immigration, which were designed to make it easier for anyone to come into our country.

Some of these policies made headlines, such as halting the construction of the border wall and ending the successful remain-in-Mexico policy.

Others were just as damaging but did not get as much attention, such as reducing the number of illegal immigrants subject to arrest; stopping the enforcement of “public charge” restrictions, which prevented immigrants from entering the US if they were likely to rely on welfare; and raising the number of allowable refugees into the country to 125,000.

Biden and his administration officials also spread fake news that Border Patrol agents were whipping illegal immigrants crossing the border.

The message to every would-be immigrant was clear: You should ignore our immigration laws and rush our border. You’ll be rewarded!

There is no precedent for the illegal migration occurring in New York City and throughout the country.

We should not be gaslit into believing this is another wave of future Americans, a process that aligns with our history as an immigrant nation.

Migrants sleeping on the sidewalk outside the Roosevelt Hotel.Seth Gottfried

Immigrants typically came legally and plugged themselves into ethnic-based communities, beginning the slow but inevitable process of assimilation into the great American melting pot.

Today’s migrants are fed and housed by taxpayers indefinitely and prevented by law from working legal jobs.

According to one study, in 2023 alone, New York taxpayers will shell out $9.9 billion for federal, state and local government programs that will serve 1 million illegal immigrants and asylum-seeking migrants in New York state.

This is a shameful break from America’s proud tradition of immigrants coming to our country and working their way to success. 

Migrants getting transported from the shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel on a city bus on August 3, 2023.Robert Miller

Asylum seekers are not scheduled to see a judge until 10 years from now and we have no means to track migrants while they await a hearing.

New York City cannot absorb 100,000 people, mostly single men, idling on our streets, waiting for immigration and labor laws to change.

Many have already turned to crime and I predict more will soon. We already have migrant men arrested for assault and robbery.

Meanwhile, migrant women are targeted for sex trafficking and are reportedly turning to prostitution. 

Look no further than the migrant crisis to understand why Americans of all political stripes no longer have faith in our public institutions.

New York City does not have the ability to solve this crisis on its own.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have been silent on this issue.

They need to take responsibility and join us in pressuring President Biden to send New York the resources necessary to manage the crisis while closing the border to future migrants.

Everyone needs to speak loud and clear that New Yorkers will not tolerate their city being used as one giant homeless shelter for Central America.

Without the intervention of the president and federal authorities, the situation will only grow more violent and chaotic for both city residents and migrants.

We need to remember our values, exercise common sense and create an immigration system that allows future Americans to come here legally and safely.  

Council Member Robert Holden (D) represents District 30 in Queens.

Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/08/03/president-biden-has-foisted-a-humanitarian-crisis-on-nyc-democratic-councilman/