New York Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled a job initiative for undocumented immigrants, coinciding with a period when approximately 380,000 New York State residents are jobless.
The Democratic governor's office issued a press release urging President Joe Biden to utilize federal resources to grant work permits to over 100,000 migrants who have entered the state.
The announcement follows Hochul's July directive safeguarding undocumented immigrants from labor investigations. "Governor Hochul directed the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) to help connect asylum seekers to employment opportunities so they can begin working immediately after obtaining federal work authorization," the press release stated.
Before the program's announcement, Hochul allocated $20 million in taxpayer funds to expedite the case filing process for over 30,000 migrants in the state. This allocation came after $1.5 billion had already been spent on providing shelter, healthcare, and other services to the same demographic.
As of July, New York City's unemployment rate stands at 5.3 percent, compared to the national average of 3.5 percent. During the first half of 2023, the city saw an average monthly influx of 10,000 migrants.
In the press release, Hochul included a letter to President Biden, seeking federal assistance to manage the additional costs associated with the crisis. The letter outlined four requests to the Biden administration, including work authorizations.
Hochul also requested further financial aid. So far, the federal government has contributed $145 million to assist the state, while New York City Mayor Eric Adams estimates the crisis could total $12 billion.
The governor also called for temporary shelters, as New York City's shelter system is currently housing over 58,000 migrants and has already established 200 of its own shelters in response to the crisis.
Hochul's final request was for the Biden administration to reimburse the costs of deploying the National Guard in New York City and other counties across the state, which currently stands at over $22 million per month.
In her letter to President Biden, Hochul emphasized that "it is the federal governments direct responsibility to manage and control of the nations borders." She argued that without the ability or responsibility to address the cause of the migrant influx, New Yorkers should not be expected to bear these costs.
Login