Do something!
Fifty-four Democratic lawmakers from across New York City signed a letter on Wednesday demanding President Biden provide immediate assistance with the migrant crisis gripping their metropolis.
Many of the signers — who represent some of the Big Apple’s largest immigrant communities — told the president they needed him to declare a federal state of emergency, expedite work authorization for migrants, fix the flow at the border, and provide more dollars to Gotham to handle the unrelenting influx of asylum seekers.
Drafted by State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens), the letter begs Biden to provide assistance to “one of the most significant humanitarian crises New York City has ever faced” and is at “a breaking point.”
“We are elected officials from New York City requesting your help. Our City is experiencing an unprecedented migrant influx, with a surge of asylum seekers arriving here in numbers never seen before in history,” the letter begins.
“We take pride in New York being a beacon of hope for immigrants, but the influx of migrants is so great that the City is running out of resources,”
The lawmakers also asked the president to put in place an organized system at the southern border “to fairly distribute newcomers across the country” — including screening for asylum claims and establishing a plan for each migrant’s arrival.
Rajkumar, during an interview, said the goal of the publicly released letter to Biden wasn’t aimed at embarrassing or showing up the president but to communicate the need to more aggressively address the migrant crisis that is quickly straining New York City’s resources.
“We need President Biden’s leadership, and we are willing to work with the president, added the Queens state representative.
A close ally of Mayor Eric Adams, Rajkumar said the letter was organized independently of City Hall — though it parrots many of the same points Hizzoner has made to the White House to get a grip on the migrant crisis.
More than 90,000 migrants have trekked to the city since last year, and account for 54,000 of the more than 100,000 people in the Big Apple’s overwhelmed shelter system — a record number.
Co-signers include Assemblywoman and Brooklyn Democratic Party Rodneyse Bichotte and Sen. Kevin Parker; Assemblyman Erik Dilan and Councilwoman Farah Lous, also from Brooklyn; Sens. Leroy Comrie, James Sanders and Joseph Addabbo along with Assemblyman Ron Kim and Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, all from Queens; Sens. Luis Sepulveda and Nathalia Fernandez, and Assembly members Michael Benedetto and Jeff Dinowitz and Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez from The Bronx; Assembly members Harvey Epstein and Rebecca Wright and Council members Keith Powers, Julie Menen.
The White House had no immediate comment.
“We are grateful to Assemblymember Rajkumar and the 54 colleagues for their support advocating on behalf of New York City. This is a national crisis that requires a national response and, as we’ve said for months, we are in need of help,” said Adams spokeswoman Kate Smart.
