Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the Biden Administration needs to create a “federal solution” to the immigration crisis as thousands of migrants flood the state.
During a Tuesday interview with Bloomberg Television’s David Westin, Hochul said she has previously “raised this with the White House” as the Big Apple continues to be flooded with migrants from the southern border.
“We have been working almost hourly with the city of New York since the migrants started arriving. And it’s something that we’re working first of all to say human beings should not used as political pawns. Once they come here, they need a place to stay, a transitional time, usually upwards of a week in order to get their feet on the ground and to find a place to live,” Hochul said. “This is just a temporary situation but absolutely, we’re working with the federal government as well, I’ve raised this with the White House and this calls for a federal solution.”
“Let’s look at federal facilities, federal staff to help supplement the city and the state,” she continued, noting she does not want the problem getting “out of control,” according to Bloomberg. (RELATED: ‘I Was Deceived’: New York City Residents Blast Biden’s Border Policies)
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams also expressed grievance over the issue and lack of solutions while speaking at a press briefing Monday.
“The far right is doing the wrong thing. The far left is doing nothing. I mean the silence – I don’t believe the silence that I’m hearing,” Adams said Monday. “These are people in need of services, and I am not hearing from the two ends of the spectrum. Far right is doing what’s wrong. Far left is doing nothing at all. It is time for us to address this in a unified way and that’s what we are doing, this administration is doing, and we should not be doing it alone.”
The city has received more than 11,000 illegal migrants since May, overwhelming the city’s shelter system. Adams said mid-September that the city was “nearing its breaking point.”
The city has begun construction of two Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, which are communities of cots and tents to house the migrants.