When the impact of illegal immigration was largely contained to Republican-led states, many big-city Democratic leaders elsewhere across the country ignored the damage caused by President Joe Biden’s lax border policies.
In recent months, however, a steady stream of undocumented migrants have arrived in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions such as New York City — and leftist leaders are now clamoring for help from the federal government.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking more cash to deal with the problem, claiming that “it is far more expensive than anyone had imagined.”
Meanwhile, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams insists that the city is at its breaking point.
“Our compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not,” he recently declared. “This is the budgetary reality we are facing if we don’t get the additional support we need.”
As hotels and other temporary shelters across the Big Apple exceed capacity and migrants are routinely seen sleeping on the sidewalk, the staggering cost of the immigration crisis is starting to come into focus.
According to sources familiar with a 2,000-bed facility being prepared on Randall’s Island off the coast of Manhattan, it will cost taxpayers $10,000 per migrant — or a total of $20 million — per month to provide shelter once it is filled.
The project is supposed to be completed by the end of the month.
Construction on the new Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center on Randall’s Island is in full swing.
It’s expected to house around 2,000 migrants in less than 2 weeks pic.twitter.com/etkpvTvyD4
— Morgan McKay (@morganfmckay) August 11, 2023
Of course, that is just a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of migrants currently seeking shelter in the city. Adams recently confirmed that the total estimated cost over the next three years will be a whopping $12 billion.
“With more than 57,300 individuals currently in our care on an average night, it amounts to $9.8 million a day, almost $300 million a month, and nearly $3.6 billion a year,” he said.
There are currently about 200 emergency shelters citywide, which provide a place to stay for just over half of the estimated 100,000 undocumented migrants who have made their way to New York City since early 2022.
Although Hochul and Adams are calling on the Biden administration to provide more money, they have not joined the chorus of conservatives advocating for increased border security and immigration law enforcement.
As the mayor tweeted last week: “The asylum seeker crisis requires a national solution. But we will do our part because that’s the New York City way.”
