In the face of a mounting humanitarian crisis in New York City, precipitated by a substantial surge in illegal immigrants, Mayor Eric Adams has called for a judicial review of the city's sanctuary law.
This plea comes as the city strains under the weight of this unprecedented issue.
While briefing the media, Adams conveyed his respect for the law and his intention to adhere to it. However, he pointed to the necessity of revisiting the sanctuary city law given the unanticipated scale of the present crisis.
"The law of sanctuary city was in place long before I became mayor. I'm following the law. As a law enforcement person, you know, we follow the law," Adams said. "We are now in court now, today, asking the judge to revisit this law to deal with this humanitarian crisis because, even when they decided to put in place that law, no one thought they would be dealing with a humanitarian crisis of this proportion."
In an unexpected turn of events, several hotels in Upstate New York have been reported to cancel pre-existing reservations and evict homeless veterans to accommodate the incoming migrants. This situation has instigated a wave of discontent and unease among residents and tourists alike.
A glaring example is the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh, New York, which abruptly canceled a large booking by a Florida couple planning their wedding.
Deanna Mifsud, 35, and Gary Moretti, 37, had reserved 30 rooms for their forthcoming nuptials in Wallkill, New York, only to have their reservation canceled without any assistance or explanation from the hotel management. The hotel, conveniently located a mere 20 minutes from the wedding, has left the couple and their guests in a lurch.
In a similar incident, another couple from Queens reported their reservation at the Crossroads was canceled ahead of their May 20 wedding. In addition, several homeless veterans temporarily housed in various hotels in Newburgh were abruptly asked to vacate, with their housing extension denied.
Newburgh, situated around 60 miles north of New York City, has now become the focal point of the state's illegal immigrants' situation, as Mayor Adams continues the transportation of migrants from New York City to the county.
In response to the growing crisis, Adams declared an emergency on Wednesday, just before the expiration of Title 42. This emergency proclamation temporarily suspends the city's right-to-shelter rules, which usually provide private rooms for illegal immigrants.
In a statement, the city revealed the magnitude of the issue, saying, "New York City has cared for more than 61,000 migrants over the last year sheltering, feeding, and caring for them almost entirely on our own. In recent days, we've seen upwards of 500 people arrive each day, and we expect those numbers to grow significantly as Title 42 lifts tomorrow."
The city also voiced concerns about the anticipated challenges without further support from federal and state partners. The current infrastructure, including over 130 emergency sites and eight humanitarian relief centers, has reached capacity. In the past week, the city has been compelled to temporarily house recent arrivals in gyms.
During his announcement of the emergency declaration, Mayor Adams said, "this was a hard decision, but it's the right decision, that this is just wrong what is happening to New York City. It's wrong and no one seems to care, but I care. And it was a challenging thing to do, but we're doing the right thing. No one thought about a humanitarian crisis when they first took this court case of right-to-shelter."
In the face of lifting Title 42 and the resultant potential influx of thousands of people a day, Adams affirmed his commitment to New Yorkers.
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