Mayor Eric Adams Declares State of Emergency Due to Influx of Migrants

Mayor Eric Adams Declares State of Emergency Due to Influx of Migrants

Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City would officially be in a State of  Emergency on Friday, October 7th.  The state of emergency was declared as a response to the continued arrival of thousands of migrants into the city. The ever-increasing number of arrivals has put a strain on the city’s shelter system. According to reports, over 17,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city since April 2022.

“My fellow New Yorkers, we are in a crisis situation,” Adams said. “New York City now has more than 61,000 people in our shelter system. That includes thousands of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and thousands of asylum seekers who have been bused in over the past few months from other parts of the country. Almost 20,000 are children, and one in five of them is an asylum seeker. And every day, the total number gets higher. Every day, from this point forward, we are setting a new record. This is a humanitarian crisis that started with violence and instability in South America and is being accelerated by American political dynamics. Thousands of asylum seekers have been bused into New York City and simply dropped off, without notice, coordination, or care — and more are arriving every day.” 

The state of emergency will be effective for a period of 30 days and can be extended if deemed necessary. Adams has requested both state and federal financial assistance. 

Adams claims that if the arrival of migrants continued at the present rate, the shelter system would house approximately 100,000 people by the end of the year. This will result in the city spending approximately $1 billion on the crisis in this financial year. 

“Although our compassion is limitless, our resources are not,” Adams said. “This is unsustainable.” 

Adams’ administration has tried solving the issue by introducing the previously reported Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers tent structures at Orchard Beach’s parking lot, which have now been relocated to Randall’s Island, as well as the possibility of housing people on cruise ships. 

There have been recent suggestions of using hotels, houses of religion, and asking citizens to voluntarily offer housing to migrants. “New Yorkers want to help, and we’re going to make it straightforward and easy for them to do so,” the mayor said.