The first few busloads of migrants from the southern border who arrived in New York received a very warm reception.
After being personally greeted by Mayor Eric Adams and city officials, they were led to a sectioned-off receiving area at Port Authority Bus Terminal where they received medical attention, rapid Covid-19 tests, food, clothing, prepaid phones, toiletries, and legal assistance.
They were then placed in waiting cabs and whisked away to temporary shelters where Masbia, a Jewish nonprofit provided them with meals.
As the busloads of migrants and asylum seekers increased in frequency and number, new arrivals were greeted by welcome committees, escorted to MTA buses, and transported to the migrant intake center at the Roosevelt Hotel.
Now, after an influx of 122,700 migrants and an expenditure of $2 billion in the past 18 months, New York City has reversed its welcoming attitude.
With shelters at capacity and resources exhausted, the city is no longer welcoming migrants and asylum seekers with open arms.
Now new arrivals are met by New York National Guard members, handed flyers with walking directions to the migrant intake center, and left to find their own way.
In stark contrast to Mayor Adams’ previous position that New York City was ‘proud’ to house asylum seekers, he’s desperately trying to get the word out that they are no longer welcome here and would fare better going to other states.
Mayor Adams’ 4-day Latin American Trip
The Mayor’s most recent attempt to stem the ever-increasing tide of immigrants to New York was a 4-day trip to Latin America.
Desperate to spread the word that New York is out of space, Mayor Adams met with local media at most of the stops on his trip, stating “Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not.”
The Mayor has also taken additional steps to stem the influx of asylum seekers to New York, including those mentioned below.
Flyers Telling Migrants Not to Come to NY
For the second time this year, Mayor Adams has had flyers printed up to be handed out at the southern border to discourage asylum seekers from coming to New York.
The first flyers, printed in July, cited the high cost of living in New York, and suggested that asylum seekers might want to consider more affordable places to live.
But the message went unheeded, and hordes of migrants continued to arrive in New York.
The new flyers, printed in both Spanish and English, are much more strongly worded, and point out the harsh realities of what migrants can expect if they choose to come to New York.
Shelters are at capacity. Migrants are being evicted. There will be no free hotel rooms. New York City has run out of space.
The updated flyers also make it clear to migrants that New York is an expensive place to live. They are not automatically allowed to work, and there’s no guarantee they will be able to find jobs.
The message is clear: “Don’t bother coming to New York. Choose a more affordable place. ”
New Policy Evicting Migrants from City Shelters
Since New York’s shelter system is struggling to accommodate the massive influx of migrants each day, drastic measures were required.
In mid-July, Mayor Adams introduced a new policy placing a 60-day limit on shelter stays.
Eviction notices were issued to over 13,000 single adult migrants currently living in shelter facilities in an effort to free up space for newly arriving migrant families with kids.
The first wave of asylum seekers were required to leave the shelters in which they’d been living no later than September 23.
With even congregant housing filled to capacity, many evicted migrants had no choice but to sleep on the street.
In September, Mayor Adams further reduced the maximum shelter stay for single adult migrants from 60 to 30 days. Now new arrivals only have a month to find alternate places to live..
With shelters, migrant hotels and congregant housing filled to capacity, New York City has no more space.
Petitioning to End NYC’s Right to Shelter Law
At the crux of the migrant crisis is New York City’s “right to shelter” law, which obligates the city to provide shelter to anyone in need.
Leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to deal with the migrant crisis, Mayor Adams has also sought a legal approach.
For the second time this year, the Mayor has petitioned a judge to end New York’s ‘right to shelter’ law on the grounds that the mandate ” was intended for New York City’s indigenous homeless population,”
He contends that the law should not apply to the endless hordes of migrants and asylum seekers descending upon New York.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also feels that limits need to be set. In a recent interview regarding the right to shelter, she stated “never was it envisioned that this would be an unlimited universal right or obligation on the City to have to house literally the entire world.”
Consider New York’s Welcome Mat Officially Withdrawn
Despite Mayor Adam’s concerted efforts to discourage them, migrants and asylum seekers continue to flock to New York.
The Mayor’s plea that “Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not.” appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Thus, the city that was once a beacon for migrants seeking asylum, has been forced to officially withdraw its welcome mat.
