9 Democratic Governors Urge Biden and Congress to Address Migrant Crisis

Nine Democratic governors have joined together to urge the Biden administration and congressional leaders to address what they call “a humanitarian crisis” created by the wave of migrants seeking refuge search in the United States.

The governors, led by Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, asked in a letter to the White House and Congress for “a serious commitment” to overhauling the immigration system, including federal coordination of a strategy to reduce pressure on the Southern and to illuminate northern areas. borders, but also for more money for states.

“It is clear that our national immigration system is outdated and unprepared to respond to this unprecedented global migration,” reads the letter, which was signed by Ms. Hochul and the governors of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Massachusetts , New York. Jersey and Maryland.

Last year, President Biden proposed a $106 billion package that included aid to states and localities, as well as increased funding for border security and deportations, along with aid to Ukraine. But like so many other immigration-related proposals of the past, his effort failed to gain the bipartisan support needed to pass a divided Congress.

Ms. Hochul, a strong ally of Biden, has so far been reluctant to take a leadership role in pushing for more federal aid from the White House, even as New York has been a flashpoint in the migrant crisis. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has not hesitated to lobby, and his attacks on the Biden administration have been met with brusque criticism of the city's handling of the crisis.

Since last spring, 170,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, and the city is still home to about 70,000 of them. Many of the people seeking refuge came to New York on buses paid for by Republican governors, who saw the move as a way to ease the burden on their own states and as a strong political message for Democrats rushing to their opinion had downplayed the situation at the elections. border too long.

The arrivals quickly overwhelmed New York City's already overburdened shelter system, which operates under a 1981 executive order that requires the city to make temporary housing available to anyone who requests it.

But it's not just shelter resources that are strained by record numbers of migrants: the legal, educational and medical systems are also burdened. Last week, some families slept on snowy streets hoping to be first in line for municipal ID cards they thought would help them find work.

Mayor Adams has predicted that the cost of these services will approach $10.6 billion from the current budget year through June of next year, putting a heavy strain on the city's finances. New York State is expected to spend $4.3 billion over the past two years to support shelter and other services for migrants, drawing on its reserves.

In their letter, which was shared with The New York Times, Democrats appeared to acknowledge the political risk of drawing attention to the immigration issue during a presidential election year, especially since former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee , had announced this. a signature of his agenda.

And while Democrats said the Biden administration has made “important progress” on this issue, they nonetheless say the need for federal aid is dire.

“With ongoing conflicts around the world, global migration is at an all-time high,” the letter said. “States and cities cannot indefinitely respond to the subsequent strain on state and local resources without congressional action.”