New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is blasting President Biden on immigration as his city struggles to handle an influx of asylum seekers, escalating tensions that could prove to be a hassle for both of them heading into reelection years. Adams, up for reelection in 2025, has been sounding the alarm since last spring over what his office reports is a surge of more than 110,000 asylum seekers into the nation’s most populous city — and he’s repeatedly criticized the Biden administration and Republicans, while calling on the federal government for help.
Adams kicked off a four-day trip across the border to Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia on Friday, with plans to “give an honest assessment” of the situation in New York and stress that the city is “at capacity.”
“We can’t sit back and just, you know, continue to expect that [we are] going to get the relief that we deserve. We want help from he federal government. We’re going to need help from the state,” Adams said Tuesday.
The mayor has said that the migrant crisis “will destroy New York City.” A state of emergency over the “unprecedented humanitarian crisis” has been declared in New York City since last year. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed at a briefing this week that Biden “has provided record amount of support” and funding to deal with the situation at the border, and argued “Republicans do the opposite.”
At the same time, Adams has also faced criticism over his tough rhetoric on immigration, as his administration grapples with the influx and looks to deter new arrivals.
Source: The Hill
