NYC Mayor Adams slams ‘right to shelter,’ says migrant crisis ‘not sustainable’ after touting sanctuary status

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams says city’s asylum policy is ‘just not sustainable’

The Democratic mayor has appealed to the Biden administration for help as thousands of migrants continue to arrive.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday admitted during a press conference that the city’s accommodation of migrants "is just not sustainable." 

The Democratic mayor noted that, under New York City’s current mandate, anyone can arrive "from anywhere on the globe" and "we are supposed to feed, cloth [and] house you as long as you want." 

"That is just not sustainable. It’s not realistic. And so because of that, you are finding people coming from all over the globe," Adams said, echoing the complaints of border state governors and local officials who have contended with massive numbers of illegal border crossings during Biden's presidency. "That’s not fair to New York City residents." 

New York Mayor Eric Adams, left, and city officials listen to a reporter's question during a City Hall press conference, Wednesday Aug. 9, 2023, in New York.  (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Many on social media pointed out that his comments seemed to be at odds with past statements he has made, concerning the plight of migrants. 

In October 2021, Mayor Adams said New York City would "remain a sanctuary city" under his administration. 

A year later, Mayor Adams tweeted: "There is a reason that Lady Liberty sits outside of NYC’s harbor."

"This is a place where we ensure we live up to the expectations of what it is to be an American, an American citizen, or a country that welcomes those fleeing prosecution and persecution," he said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment. 

Mayor Adams has appealed to the Biden administration for help as thousands of migrants from the southern border continue to arrive in New York City seeking temporary care and shelter. The influx of people has pushed the city towards a budgetary crisis, with expenses projected at more than $12 billion by the end of next year. 

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"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," Adams said during his address. "New Yorkers did not create an international humanitarian crisis. But our city's residents have been left to deal with this crisis almost entirely on our own." 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently dispatched a small team to New York City to help determine how the federal government should respond.

Migrants await registration outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. The asylum seekers are forced to wait on the streets, since the hotel is currently at capacity. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital )

The federal government has so far promised the city $160 million to help — although the city's budget director, Jacques Jiha, told reporters that the city has yet to receive a "single dollar" of that money. A city spokesperson later clarified that requests for that money have been made, but the delay could be because of routine bureaucratic reasons.

Since the spring of 2022, nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived in New York City seeking shelter. The US-Mexico border has frequently seen record-breaking numbers of illegal crossings since Biden's inauguration. 

With the city's shelters near capacity and more migrants arriving, the crisis is unlikely to abate anytime soon. As of Sunday, the city said it was housing more than 82,000 people, including nearly 30,000 children.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul does not dispute the city needs more money, saying "it is far more expensive than anyone had imagined."

She said she expects to ask lawmakers in Albany to provide another $1 billion to help the city, on top of the $1 billion already allocated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.