Democratic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City announced Thursday cops and schools would be subjected to budget cuts to pay for the city’s migrant crisis.
Adams announced that libraries would be closed on Sundays and the New York Police Department would freeze police hiring as part of the efforts to address the costs of housing migrants arriving in the city, according to The New York Times. The city is offering migrants free travel to any location as the number exceeded 130,000, but many say they will not leave the city.
“No city should be left to handle a national humanitarian crisis largely on its own, and without the significant and timely support we need from Washington, D.C., today’s budget will be only the beginning,” Adams said Thursday. The police force is expected to drop below 30,000 as a result of the cuts, The New York Times reported.
Republican Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Doug Ducey of Arizona began busing migrants to New York City and other so-called “sanctuary” cities in 2022.
Adams previously announced that a class of 250 school safety agents would not be hired Tuesday, asking parents to volunteer to fill the gaps created by the cancelled hiring.
“In all my time in government, this is probably one of the most painful exercises I’ve gone through,” Adams said.
The Education Department’s budget will be by $1 billion over a two year period, according to Adams.
Over two million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border during fiscal year 2023, according to data released by United States Customs and Border Protection, following 2,206,436 encounters in fiscal year 2022 and 1,659,206 in fiscal year 2021.
Crime in New York City has climbed, leading to Target closing a store in Harlem due to concerns about employee safety in September.
Harold Hutchison on November 16, 2023
