Migrants are still coming to New York by the thousands in need of help from the city, an issue that dominated 2023 and will follow Mayor Eric Adams and his administration into the new year.
City officials on Tuesday said about 4,000 people arrived last week alone.
What You Need To Know
- Mayor Eric Adams held his final off-topic session of the year with reporters on Tuesday
- Adams said he sees no "light at the end of the tunnel from the federal government" regarding the cost of serving migrants
- He also said he would like state lawmakers to take up illegal cannabis shops and housing when they return to Albany next month
"I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel from the federal government, and I think we can't treat this as a policy," Adams said at a press briefing. "We have to treat it as an urgency, and I'm just not seeing that energy."
To date, the city says it has helped more than 23,500 migrants with paperwork. That includes nearly 8,000 asylum applications, 9,400 work authorization applications and 6,100 applications for temporary protective status.
Meanwhile, 68,000 migrants are currently in the city’s shelter system.
“There's about 2,200 people who have actually gotten their work authorization approved, so they are connecting with the state Department of Labor and our department here to see how to get people connected to work," Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom said.
Adams on Tuesday also looked ahead to 2024, detailing his wish list for Albany lawmakers as their legislative session begins next month. The mayor said he wants the city to have new power from Albany to close illegal cannabis shops
"I will clean up our crisis of cannabis in 30 days if they give me the enforcement power," he said.
He also called for new proposals on housing, as state lawmakers failed to greenlight Gov. Kathy Hochul’s ambitious housing agenda last session.
"The goals are to incentivize building. The goal is to make sure we have some form of tenant protections," Adams said. "I think that reasonable adults can sit down in a room and say, 'How do we accomplish them both?' And that has been my conversation with everyone.
In keeping with the season, Adams was asked about his New Year's resolutions for 2024.
He said, continue to cut down on crime, manage the city while dealing with budget cuts — in part due to spending on migrant services — and continue to lead the city through the migrant crisis.
He also offered a personal resolution: spend more time with his son.