Kathy Hochul joined Eric Adams in criticizing the federal government for the number of immigrants arriving in New York. She gave a press conference in which she took aim at the Biden Administration for not helping the state manage an immigration influx. In particular, she called for speeding up work permits and an increase in financial aid.
The governor spoke Thursday from the New York Capitol and said that 100,000 people requested asylum in the state during 2022. "This crisis originated in the federal government and must be resolved with the federal government," the Democrat fumed, referencing a letter she wrote to President Joe Biden.
According to her, the key is in the work authorization so that they can support themselves, but the Department of Labor continually passes the responsibility on to Congress.
Watch Kathy Hochul blames Biden for the migrant crisis. https://t.co/L9khrly3vh pic.twitter.com/wG4OYrGcFB
— New York Post (@nypost) August 24, 2023
"To me, the response to these two crises — a humanitarian crisis and our workforce crisis — is very clear and common sense. That they obtain work authorizations; let them work; Legally, let them work," she added.
She called on the government to identify land to use as temporary shelters for asylum seekers and reimbursement for the 1,900 members of the New York National Guard, who have been providing logistical and operational support to house migrants across the state.
Biden, Hochul and Adams' immigration management is unpopular in New York
A survey conducted by Siena College found that New York is not happy with the increase in immigrants in the city. It found that 8 in 10 New Yorkers see this situation as a "serious problem" for the state, while 54% see it as "very serious."
The survey also asked about the image of the current Democratic executives, in this case, Joe Biden in the White House, Kathy Hochul in the governorship of the state and Eric Adams as mayor of the City. In all three cases, the majority of opinions were unfavorable on the handling of immigration.
"Voters disapprove of the job. that Hochul is doing to address the influx 51-35%. They disapprove of the job Mayor Eric Adams is doing 47-31%. And they disapprove of the job the Biden Administration is doing 59-34%. By a narrow 42-39 % margin, they approve of the job that their local elected officials are doing," Greenberg concluded.
