Rep. Adriano Espaillat said the city’s 60-day limit on stays for migrant families at shelters is “unrealistic” in some ways, saying they should give them work permits instead.
“If we don’t provide an alternative, we’re pushing them out and they’re going to be homeless,” he told NY1 political reporter Bobby Cuza on “Inside City Hall” Friday.
Espaillat, who represents parts of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, said businesses need more workers.
“Once you give them a job, they’ll rent a room, they’ll rent a basement just like other immigrants have done throughout the history of New York City,” he said.
Earlier this week, the first group of migrants with children were forced to pack up and leave their shelters.
The limit was put in place by the Adams administration in October as a way to decrease the number of asylum seekers.
There are more than 69,000 migrants in the city’s care, according to officials.