New York Mayor Eric Adams asked agencies to submit proposed annual budget cuts of 5% by November as the city seeks to manage the financial burden of taking in a wave of 110,000 migrants.
The mayor’s office said it’s seeking to minimize disruptions to programs and services, and there won’t be layoffs. But “the simple truth is that long-time New Yorkers and asylum seekers will feel these potential cuts, and they will hurt,” Adams said in a video address on Saturday.
Major cities across the US are struggling to find resources to shelter new migrants who are overwhelming shelters, social services and already-stretched budgets. In New York City, which by law can’t turn away those who need housing, the Adams administration estimates 10,000 asylum seekers are arriving each month, a massive migration wave that may cost an estimated $12 billion over the next three fiscal years.
Read more: New York Leads Big Cities’ Anger Over Biden’s Border Response
Democratic-led sanctuary cities have complained for more than a year about receiving buses of immigrants dispatched in many cases by Republicans including Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The Biden administration has requested $4 billion in emergency funding for border and migration management, though it’s unclear whether Congress can reach consensus on a plan. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has considered tying the next round of US aid to Ukraine to immigration and asylum policies opposed by Democrats.
