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Thousands of immigrants are seeking to have their documents processed in New York
- author, Madeleine Halpert
- scroll, BBC News
New York authorities plan to distribute flyers warning migrants that there is “no guarantee” they will get help if they reach the city.
New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the plan, saying the city had received 90,000 immigrants since April of last year.
The mayor of the largest city in the United States, with a population of 8.3 million, said: “We no longer have extra space.”
“Please consider another city when deciding where to settle in the United States,” a copy of the brochure says.
In English and Spanish, the document warns that the costs of food, transportation and other necessities in New York are high and that the city cannot guarantee housing and other social services for new arrivals.
As part of the plan, the Democratic mayor also said single adults would be able to stay in city shelters for 60 days. They will then need to reapply for a place.
Adams said the city will try to help immigrants find housing with family and friends.
The city is expected to soon open a shelter for 2,000 migrants, the largest shelter ever built in New York.
The city's mayor blamed the federal and state governments for not providing sufficient resources to the city to provide social services to the new arrivals.
“We cannot continue to absorb tens of thousands of newcomers on our own without help from the state and federal government,” he said.
A record 105,800 people are now living in shelters in New York, including more than 54,000 asylum seekers.
Critics of the plan
Critics of the new plan say it violates the city's right to housing rules, which guarantee temporary housing for those in need.
They say Adams is trying to weaken those rules to deal with the influx of migrants.
In a statement on Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union of New York called the mayor's new plan “cruel” and “illegal.”
“This goes against New Yorkers’ values of compassion and care,” the organization said.
In recent months, Adams has taken a series of steps to limit the arrival of new immigrants.
In May, he announced he would send immigrants to nearby counties outside the city, sparking an angry reaction from some New York officials.
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New York Mayor Eric Adams says the city hasn't gotten enough support from the state or federal government
Stop the immigrants
Republican governors in southern U.S. states have bussed migrants into Democratic-run jurisdictions, especially so-called “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and protect the rights of undocumented people.
Republican leaders say this strategy aims to increase pressure on President Joe Biden's administration to do more to prevent migrants from crossing the country's southern border.
Republicans blame the Biden administration for allowing the United States last year to achieve the largest increase in irregular migration flows across the border with Mexico in two decades.
Between the end of 2022 and the beginning of this year, Biden ordered a ban on illegal entry across the southern border of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans and set annual visa quotas for migrants who legally process their entry into the United States.
To do this, the immigrant needs a financial sponsor who is in the United States and conducts a background check.
The person must also undergo a safety investigation, prove they have been vaccinated against Covid and meet other health requirements to live and work in the country for two years.
