New York City to spend $4.7 BILLION this fiscal year dealing with illegal immigrants
This is according to data released by the government of New York City, which was quick to point out that more than 110,000 so-called asylum seekers have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022, with over 10,000 arriving each month and as many as 1,000 arriving on any given day.
Worse yet for the city, government models predict the high rate of growth in the migrant population will continue at least for this current fiscal year – which began on July 1 and will end on June 30, 2024 – and the next one.
The models suggest that the "sheltered asylum seeker population" will cost the city $4.7 billion this fiscal year. City figures show that it spends on average around $9.8 million per day on illegal immigrants. By the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2024, costs are expected to balloon to $6.1 billion.
"This figure represents almost triple the city's previous $3.9 billion estimate for the two fiscal years, which is funded in the city's financial plan," reported the city. "This means that, without additional state and federal support, the city will need to add another $7 billion to the financial plan over this year and the next to meet rapidly expanding needs."
The $4.7 billion the city spends each year is equal to the budgets for New York City's sanitation, fire and parks departments combined.
Migrant crisis a $12 billion black hole in New York City's budget
The city's announcement regarding the costs to the city of the migrant crisis comes as city leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams, are going all out urging the administration of President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency over the southern border so that the federal government can provide more funding and other aid to the large numbers of so-called asylum seekers arriving in New York.
"It's the latest cry for help from Democratic-run cities struggling to care for a surge in newly arrived asylum seekers who initially crossed the U.S.-Mexico border – putting even more political pressure on an administration that's struggled to get control of the border from day one," wrote Stef Kight, a politics reporter for Axios.
In a press conference, Adams warned that New York City residents face a potential $12 billion bill to pay for all of the so-called asylum seekers surging into the city over the next three fiscal years.
"New York City has been left to pick up the pieces of a broken immigration system – one that is projected to cost our city $12 billion over the course of three fiscal years without policy changes and further support from state and federal governments," said Adams. "Our compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not. This is the budgetary reality we are facing if we don't get the additional support we need."
"Over the last year, nearly 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in our city looking for a new life. New York City has managed the problem largely by ourselves," said Adams. "This is a national crisis that's begged for a national response since day one. Despite our tireless effort, we're running out of resources."
"We've provided shelter, food, clothing, healthcare, legal aid and schooling for children," he added. "But we are well past our breaking point."
Adams also pointed out how his statement wasn't just for the benefit of New York City but also for other cities like Boston, Chicago, El Paso, Houston and Los Angeles that have borne the brunt of the migrant crisis. He noted that these cities "can't and shouldn't be left to shoulder a national crisis alone. We need the federal government to take immediate action."
No comments