Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s message to Biden administration officials was simple, as New York continues to struggle with an influx of migrants.
With President Joe Biden on speaker phone, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and senior administration officials present, Hochul made a direct appeal for help.
“I said ‘we need help, we need resources, we need federal facilities,'” Hochul told reporters Tuesday.
Over the past month, the migrant situation has landed in Hochul’s lap following New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to voluntarily deport people who have arrived in the state, some seeking asylum, in the northern counties of the city.
The development has sparked a flurry of legal challenges from local governments seeking to block Adams’ program or allow it to move forward.
The New York state budget in May allocated $1 billion to support migrants in New York City, including funding for the National Guard and legal services.
Aside from housing, Hochul has urged the federal government to speed up work permit rules for asylum-seeker migrants so they can get a job while in New York.
Hochul’s efforts with the federal government have yielded only a few results so far. He previously asked for federal help in May, including resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She wants approval to house migrants at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field.
None of that requested aid has come through so far, although the use of a hangar at John F. Kenney International Airport has been approved by the federal government.
As for using the State University of New York campuses as temporary housing, Hochul said Tuesday that would be up to Adams. SUNY campus housing has presented challenges: Students return for the next semester in August. Political opposition has also arisen from the suggestion.
“I said I would look and look at every available property. I have, I’ve offered it to the mayor,” Hochul said. “Some SUNY facilities we might find a dorm to go to in the fall. It might not work out.”
