Even though her state has received more border protection funds than Arizona, New York Governor Kathy Hochul still wants more federal money to help her deal with the migrant crisis.
On Thursday, Hochul pressed President Joe Biden to act quickly and authorize work permits for the migrants who have arrived in New York City in the last year. There have been more than 100,000 migrants in the city who Hochul believes need these work permits as soon as possible.
The New York governor sent Biden a letter Thursday while also giving a formal address from the state capital of Albany. To this point, Hochul has held off on all-out criticisms of the Biden administration, but that ship has apparently sailed.
In the address she gave in Albany on Thursday, Hochul said:
“New York has shouldered this burden for far too long. There does not appear to be a solution for this federal problem anytime soon. This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved with the federal government.”
Hochul’s letter highlighted four areas that she believes must be addressed in her state by the federal government. As she explained:
“For me, the answer to these two crises – a humanitarian crisis and our workforce crisis – is so crystal clear and common sense. Let them get the work authorizations. Let them work. Legally, let them work.”
The governor said that, right now, there are about 460,000 open jobs in New York City alone. That’s more than enough job openings to meet the demand that is coming from the migrants who have arrived there looking for work.
Hochul said that she wants these migrants to move out of shelters that have been set up so they can get jobs and contribute to society while they are awaiting the advancement of their asylum cases.
As she explained in the address:
“We have countless unfilled jobs that are begging for someone to just take them.”
Hochul’s main demand is that work authorizations for migrants be expedited. In addition, she’s also demanding “significant financial assistance” that she thinks should come from the federal government. Again, this is despite the fact that her state has already gotten a boatload of federal border funds to help them deal with the migrant crisis.
She also wants the Biden administration to take control of the migrant crisis in the New York City region by converting some federal facilities into migrant temporary shelters. She also believes the federal government needs to reimburse her state for having to use the National Guard.
To this point, Hochul said New York is allocating roughly $22 million every month so they can pay for the nearly 2,000 National Guardsmen who have had to be called upon.
In her letter to Biden, she wrote:
“The flow of asylum seekers and migrants into New York is continuing at a high and unabated level. It is the federal government’s direct responsibility to manage and control … the nation’s borders. WIthout any capacity or responsibility to address the cause of the migrant influx, New Yorkers cannot then shoulder these costs.”
