Last year, when the governors of Texas and Arizona began sending busloads of migrants to New York City, the mayor, Eric Adams, not only criticized the inhumanity of the Republican incumbents, but welcomed the newcomers with open arms, vowing that the Big Apple would not abandon them.
And although so far the Municipal Administration has helped more than 90,000 migrants who have passed through the shelter system and who have been connected with basic services since then, the tone of the president, who insists that New York no longer has the resources or space to continue housing new arrivals, is no longer the same.
After warning that the Big Apple no longer has space to house newcomers and announcing that single adults who have been in shelters and hotels for a long time will begin receiving notifications giving them 60 days to find their own accommodation, Adams announced that the city has also launched a campaign to discourage migrants from coming to the five boroughs in the hope that they will have a place to stay.
Through flyers, which are being distributed at the border and distributed on social networks, the City of New York warns them, in English and Spanish, that the situation in the Big Apple is uphill and that things have changed in recent months.
Titled “NYC Update for Asylum Seekers,” the fliers not only stress that the City has received more than 90,000 migrants since April of last year, but warn them that “housing is very expensive in New York,” that “the cost of food, transportation and other basic necessities are among the highest in the country,” and openly ask them to consider moving to another city rather than the Big Apple. “There is no guarantee that we will be able to provide shelter and services to the new arrivals,” the flyers state.
And although leaders of community organizations such as Hyldalin Colón, deputy director of NICE, warn that the mayor’s move shows “how desperate he is” because he no longer has enough resources to continue sheltering more migrants, they also affirm that this type of action sends the wrong message about what New York is and will not prevent more people from continuing to arrive in the coming days. Last week 2,800 new migrants arrived.
“We understand where the City is at this moment, but we also have to understand that other cities like Chicago, Washington DC or California are also receiving migrants. And although it must be recognized that the City did something that others did not do, they made this courageous decision to open the doors, today we see the need to be more interconnected and strategic and support them with lawyers, help them get their licenses, get an ITIN number and get vaccinated,” said the immigrant advocate. “It is a very complex situation, but it shows that the Mayor is at a level of desperation to have to get to that point because they lack resources, but just as Biden wanted to do with flyers and megaphones at the border when the COVID thing happened, it is not going to work and we have to find a way to continue helping those who arrive.”
Theodore Moore, vice president of Policy and Programs for the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) was tougher, lashing out at the mayor for the flyers he is circulating, which are intended to cause alarm.
Between 300 and 500 new migrants continue to arrive in NYC every day. Photo Edwin Martinez
“We denounce Mayor Adams’ fear mongering and outright lies. The printing and distribution of these inaccurate flyers is in stark contrast to New York’s welcoming tradition,” the activist said. “New York City has welcomed immigrants from around the world, who in turn have strengthened our economy and contributed much to the culture that has defined our city. We must continue to welcome our new neighbors and make sure they have access to housing, legal services, and social services.”
Natalia Aristizabal, deputy director of the Make the Road NY organization, also criticized the mayor’s new plan, who has changed his speech of full support for newcomers, and asked him instead of allocating resources to flyers and putting stay ultimatums on those who are in shelters, seek solutions with different levels to continue reaching out to those who continue to come to the Big Apple.
“Printing posters in English in a city where people have not yet arrived, and are not arriving by choice, does nothing to stop the arrival of migrants and everything to fan the flames of division in our city,” said the Colombian. “The Mayor needs to reverse course immediately and instead of wasting time, money and airtime blaming immigrants, work with partners at all levels of government and in our communities to address this moment.”