NYC Budget Cuts Triggered by Migrant Crisis, Mayor Adams Says

Mayor Eric Adams has attributed a spate of impending budget cuts in New York City services to the financial toll of the ongoing migrant crisis, a burden he asserts has been exacerbated by a lack of federal support.

At a Brooklyn town hall, Adams expressed frustration with Washington, declaring, "DC has abandoned us, and they need to be paying their cost to this national problem." The city has welcomed over 125,000 migrants since the previous year, Adams said, with New York shouldering care for nearly half, prompting substantial municipal budget cuts.

Officials revealed that these cuts will affect various services, including sanitation, public safety, and education. Notably, nearly $550 million is set to be slashed from the NYC Education Department's budget, affecting everything from preschool initiatives to family support programs.

This stance has put Adams at odds with the Biden administration, as the two have not communicated in nearly a year. Adams has called for increased federal action, stressing, "This is unfair what we're doing to migrant asylum seekers, and it's unfair what we're doing to everyday taxpayers."

In response to the crisis, the mayor had previously imposed a citywide hiring freeze in September. The city's expenditure on the migrant surge is projected to be around $1.5 billion for the current fiscal year, with an estimated $11 billion expected over the next two fiscal years.

Jacques Jihia, the city's budget director, has announced a 20% funding cut for migrant services starting in January. Additionally, the state has pivoted from funding migrant shelters to targeted programs, such as legal services, stoking fears of shelter closures and increased homelessness.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams File Photo

The austerity measures are scheduled for immediate implementation, raising concerns about the continuity of New York's essential services amidst the crisis. Adams' administration remains committed to a strategy that prevents street homelessness, a challenge made more daunting by the constant influx of new arrivals. "Every day, there is a level of maneuvering that we have to do," Adams admitted, underscoring the city's precarious balancing act.

As budgetary constraints loom, city officials grapple with the logistics of accommodating the continued wave of migrants and asylum seekers, leaving all options on the table to manage the situation. The future of New York's response to the migrant crisis and the preservation of city services hangs in the balance as these financial adjustments take hold.