The Biden administration committed to working with the state of New York on Wednesday to help fill job vacancies with migrants who are straining the city’s social safety net, according to a press release.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asked the Biden administration on Aug. 24 to expedite work permits for immigrants who are flooding New York City, provide more funds to build shelters and reimburse the state for the cost of deploying National Guard troops in response to the migrant crisis. Senior Biden administration officials met with Hochul on Wednesday, pledging to launch a campaign that will help migrants within the state apply for employment authorization. (RELATED: ‘The Governor’s Wrong’: Eric Adams Blasts Kathy Hochul As Migrant Crisis Boils Over On New York Streets)
“First, following the deployment of a Department of Homeland Security assessment team, the Administration highlighted data indicating that substantial number of recent migrants who arrived in New York City are currently work eligible but have not yet applied to get a work permit,” the press release states. “For example, nationwide, only around 16% of working-age CBP One entrants have applied for work authorization. To date, roughly 20% of the noncitizens indicating New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania as their intended destination this year were paroled in following an appointment scheduled through CBP One and are eligible to work immediately, if they apply.”
The Biden administration and the New York state government will use text messages and email beginning in September to provide migrants who are “work eligible” with information on how to apply for employment authorization, the press release states. New York will also receive support from the federal departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development and the Interior to assist with the migrant surge.
People attend an anti-migrant protest lead by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa at Floyd Bennett Field on August 22, 2023 in the Marine Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Since Republican governors began busing migrants to New York City, the state has had to care for about 100,000 migrants, despite not having enough shelter and resources. The Biden administration was previously apprehensive about allowing Democrat-run cities to grant migrants work permits, fearing that the move could lead to more border crossings.
Leaders previously requested that the Biden administration temporarily waive the 180-day required waiting period before migrants can receive work authorization.
“The Administration officials and the Governor reiterated their commitment to continuing these conversations in the days and weeks ahead, and are calling on Congress to adequately resource programs to support communities receiving migrants and to pass immigration reform,” the press release states. “The Administration requested $600 million additional for the Shelter and Services Program in the Supplemental, and we continue to call on Congress to fulfill that request.”