The father of singer Lady Gaga has blasted New York City Mayor Eric Adams' immigration administration. The businessman, who owns a restaurant on the Upper West Side, claimed in an interview with the New York Post, that recent waves of immigrants and the Democrats' progressive policies are ruining his neighborhood and his business. "If it was like this when my girls were growing up, I wouldn't be living in New York."
This is not the first time Joe Germanotta has lashed out at New York City management. But the latest moves by the Eric Adams Administration were the last straw for this neighborhood resident. The discreet conversion of a hotel into a center for housing migrants turned the area, according to Germanotta, into a nest of prostitution and crime.
Migrants have taken over the streets of Manhattan. Mayor Eric Adams campaigned on keeping NYC a sanctuary city for migrants. pic.twitter.com/v1l3FtYR7T
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 31, 2023
"It was a stealth operation. They were bused in in the middle of the night, like when they flew them into Westchester, they didn’t want anybody to know what was going on," explains Lady Gaga's father to the New York Post. Along with Germanotta, the other neighbors in the area have joined together in an association to ask the city administration for more vigilance, and better supervision of migrants.
Chaos in the neighborhood
According to Germanotta, since the arrival of more than 500 migrants at the converted Stratford Arms Hotel, the quality of life in the neighborhood has plummeted. Street parties that last until the wee hours of the morning, prostitution, underage girls who are being complimented and drivers of small electric motorcycles employing reckless driving are some of the problems cited.
"I don’t mind having them there. They’re gonna be there for three years. That was the contract, I understand. But at least manage it. Put the proper security in place, have a police presence and a code of conduct," Germanotta maintained. "They’re guests in our neighborhood, and they have basically taken over," added the businessman, who also claimed to have started seeing hypodermic needles lying around the street.
Eric Adams' management: "a joke."
Germanotta, who had some meetings with the City Administration, assured that Eric Adams management of the situation is "a joke." In the opinion of the pop star's father, the city should have cancelled its 'sanctuary' status for immigrants.
“It’s a joke. Why doesn’t he get one of the cruise ships? The cruise ships hold more people, and it’s a more controlled environment,” he said. “The city is spending a tremendous amount of money that could be spent towards building affordable housing Germanotta lamented. The artist's father assures that he will continue his talks with the city administration on behalf of the neighborhood association to find solutions to the serious deterioration of New York.
