Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday that the New York City suburbs should end their “bigoted policies” and accept migrants.
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has begun sending migrants to suburban communities such as Rockland County, prompting many localities to declare states of emergencies. Officials in Rockland County have asked Adams not to send migrants to their area, calling the move “absurd.”
“There is nothing humanitarian about a Sanctuary City sending busloads of people to a County that does not have the infrastructure to care for them,” County Executive Ed Day said recently. “It’s the same as throwing them in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to swim.”
Speaking Monday, Hochul lashed out at the counties for alleged “bigotry.”
“And I also want to say to parts of our country and our state who are enacting bigoted policies based on fear and intimidation, join us. Join us. Let people know the true story of what New York is.” (RELATED: ‘Overflowing’: Blue State Considers Using Airplane Hangars At Major Airport To House Migrants)
Hochul also tried to claim the surge of migrants would be good to help fill vacant jobs.
“So, when we think about what we have open right now, I know upstate, I know exactly where it starts to. There are over 5,000 farm jobs, 5,000 farm jobs open as we speak. The cows don’t wait to be milked. The plants need to be maintained and harvested in a few months. The crops. We have more than 5,000 food service jobs right now,” Hochul said, adding there are housekeeping and janitorial jobs also available.
Hochul did acknowledge the state is overrun, adding that her administration considering using an airplane hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport to house migrants.
Both Adams and Hochul have asked the federal government to expedite work permits for the migrants, which have so far cost NYC over $1 billion in support costs. Migrants have been housed primarily in hotels, which have canceled reservations for customers to accommodate the migrants.