‘Broken’ System: Mayorkas Responds To NYC Mayor’s Siren About Migrant Crisis

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas complained on Monday of a “broken immigration system” when asked to respond to a warning from New York City Mayor Eric Adams about the migrant crisis.

CNN showed Mayorkas a clip of Adams, a Democrat, saying last week that the cost of dealing with more than 110,000 asylum seekers in New York City would “destroy” the Big Apple — an issue exacerbated by red states busing migrants to blue cities in an effort to alleviate their border communities and challenge “sanctuary” policies.

“First and foremost, we’re dealing with a broken immigration system — a fact about which everyone agrees. It is one of the rare things about which there’s unanimity of views. And we need Congress to act, number one,” Mayorkas said.

“Number two, within that broken immigration system we are challenged by an unprecedented level of displacement in the western hemisphere of historic proportions,” he added.

“We have responded with a model approach that has proven to work, which is to build lawful pathways for individuals to arrive in a safe and orderly way and to deliver consequences for those who don’t meet them,” Mayorkas said.

Citing the costs of New York City taking care of migrants — $12 billion over the next three fiscal years — Adams announced over the weekend that he seeks cuts to balance the budget in accordance with law.

The mayor said his plan was a “direct result” of the “inaction” in Washington and New York’s state government, but Adams insisted they could still alleviate the situation by “paying their fair share and coming up with a decompression strategy that reduces the pressure on New York City so we are not forced to manage this crisis almost entirely on our own.”

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul told Spectrum News late last month that the White House has committed to “surge resources” and send Homeland Security Department officials to Manhattan to help contend with the migrants. In addition, the White House said the Biden administration has made a request to Congress for $600 million in additional funds for the Shelter and Services Program and federal officials have reportedly sent out messages to migrants urging eligible individuals to apply for work permits.

“We are working very closely with the city of New York,” Mayorkas said during his appearance on CNN. “We sent an assessment team here that devised approximately 25 recommendations. We are executing on those recommendations. We will address this together.”