Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Eyewitness News on Wednesday that his administration is cutting funding to migrants by a further 10 percent.
Adams had previously cut funding to migrants by 20 percent, the outlet reported. Adams told the outlet this announcement came even after planned budget cuts and a hiring freeze were cancelled due to the city’s “better-than-expected economic performance in 2023.”(RELATED: New York Mayor Launches Crusade Against Social Media Amid Crime, Migrant Crisis)
“We are far from out of the woods, but we’re showing that we can manage this crisis if we watch how we spend and we manage the spending that we’re seeing in the city,” Adams told Eyewitness News. “When we inherited it, we were in an emergency state,” Adams recalled. “Emergency conditions cost more money.”
Exclusive: Mayor Eric Adams announces New York City is slashing aid to migrants https://t.co/SaAFwnAVU5 pic.twitter.com/6UtoeLhSSS
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) February 21, 2024
“We’re now transitioning into a stabilized state. This is going to be here for a while. So by doing that, we can renegotiate contracts. We can look at long-term planning. We’re not using this as an emergency, although we’re in a crisis status. We’re treating it differently because the emergency still exists. But we are managing it differently,” the Mayor told the outlet.
Adams said back in Sept. 2023 that the cost of the migration problem was devastating to the city.
“This issue will destroy New York City. We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month … people all over the globe have made their minds up that they’re going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City … Every community in this city is going to be impacted. We have a $12 billion deficit that we’re going to have to cut — every service in this city is going to be impacted,” he said.
Even with the reductions, critics have expressed disagreement with the mayor over a new $53 million pilot program to give prepaid credit cards to migrants.
“How in the hell do we come up with a $53 million pilot program for illegals, but folks who are here legally, are born here, we don’t have enough for them?” asked Stephen A. Smith, a native of New York City and ESPN sports analyst.
“WTF mayor Adams call my phone, I don’t understand how this works,” 50 Cent, a famous rapper, posted on Instagram about the policy. “I’m stuck maybe TRUMP is the answer.”