Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams called on the White House to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers in New York City on Monday.
The mayor first made this call over a month ago before Title 42 expired.
“When I speak with my Asylum Seekers at the hotels or on the streets, they tell me, they state clearly, ‘we don’t want your free room and board, and food, and clothing,” Mayor Adams said during a press conference on Monday. “‘We want to work. We want to have an opportunity to provide for ourselves.’ And right now we are denying that opportunity by refusing to let them work legally.”
New York City is housing more than 41,000 migrants in more than 150 sites and there are no signs of things slowing down any time soon.
Mayor Adams said the city will spend $4.3 billion on migrants who continue to arrive by the busload.