In a letter to President Biden on Wednesday, 54 Democratic lawmakers from all throughout New York City demanded that he act quickly to address the immigration crisis that is engulfing their city.
Many of the signers, who are representatives of some of the largest immigrant communities in the Big Apple, pleaded with the president to issue a federal state of emergency, speed up the process for migrant work permits, regulate traffic at the border, and give Gotham more funding to deal with the never-ending influx of asylum seekers.
The letter, sent by State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens), urges Biden to help with “one of the most significant humanitarian crises New York City has ever faced” because it is “at a breaking point.”
Your assistance is requested by New York City elected leaders. Asylum seekers are flooding into our city in numbers never previously witnessed in history, creating an unparalleled migrant deluge, the letter opens.
We take pleasure in New York’s reputation as a beacon of hope for immigrants, but the city is running out of resources as a result of the massive influx of newcomers.
The senators also requested that the president build a system at the southern border “to fairly distribute newcomers across the country” that would include screening for asylum claims and creating a plan for each immigrant’s arrival.
Rajkumar claimed in an interview that the letter to Biden, which was made public, wasn’t intended to shame or discredit the president but rather to emphasize the urgency of taking action against the immigration issue, which is already putting a burden on New York City’s resources.
The Queens state representative continued, “We need President Biden’s leadership, and we are ready to work with the president.
Rajkumar, a close ally of Mayor Eric Adams, claimed the letter was put up independently of City Hall, despite the fact that it reiterates many of the same arguments Hizzoner has made to the White House to address the migrant problem.
Since last year, more than 90,000 migrants have traveled to the city, and of the more than 100,000 people currently crammed into the overcrowded shelter system in the Big Apple, 54,000 are migrants. This is a record number.
Co-signers include Assemblywoman and Brooklyn Democratic Party Rodneyse Bichotte and Sen. Kevin Parker; Assemblyman Erik Dilan and Councilwoman Farah Lous, also from Brooklyn; Sens. Leroy Comrie, James Sanders, and Joseph Addabbo, along with Assemblyman Ron Kim and Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, all from Queens; Sens. Luis Sepulveda and Nathalia Fernandez; Assembly members Michael Benedetto and Jeff Dinowitz; Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquezquez from The Bronx; Assembly members Harvey Epstein and Rebecca Wright; and Council members Keith Powers and Julie Menen.
The White House was unable to comment right away. “We appreciate Assemblymember Rajkumar’s and his 54 colleagues’ support in speaking out in favor of New York City.
As we have been saying for months, we are in need of assistance. This is a national problem that calls for a national response.
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