New York City, which once used to boast about its status as a sanctuary city, is now struggling with all of the migrants that have come pouring through as a result. The city has been begging the federal government for help, which appears to have led to a blame game of sorts, as The New York Times covered earlier this week. When it comes to helping out New York City, though, the Biden administration has responded by offering up the involvement of another state entirely as a place to house migrants, New Jersey.
According to a Bloomberg report from Wednesday, the administration has suggested a list of sites to house migrants, which includes the Atlantic City International Airport:
The Biden administration has some suggestions for where New York City can house some of the 60,000 asylum seekers who recently arrived: a remote facility closer to Montreal than Manhattan, a tax office on Long Island and Atlantic City International Airport.
The sites are on a list of 11 federally owned facilities that US Department of Homeland Security officials sent to Mayor Eric Adams this week as possible locations to relocate migrants, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be identified.
Most of the sites are outside of the city, including Stewart International Airport, a small Hudson Valley facility frequently used by private jet owners. The Atlantic City location is even in another state, New Jersey.
It appears that the suggestion might be at odds with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), with her office pointing the outlet to a previous statement. "We cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants, nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will," she had said.
While Bloomberg did not hear back immediately from DHS or Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), other New Jersey politicians have made it clear they're opposed to being involved in cleaning up New York's problems.
Republican state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco released a statement with a clear message. "My message to Governor Phil Murphy and Democrat leadership is clear. We must stop the Biden administration from exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that they created by passing the buck on to New Jersey from New York City," he said.
His statement called out not only state Democrats, but federal ones as well. "This is yet another example of how President Biden and Democrats in Washington have not taken immigration issues seriously. New Jersey cannot afford to be the backstop for New York City’s failure to house migrants as a sanctuary city. I’m calling on all elected officials in New Jersey to stand against this outlandish proposal from the Biden administration and to protect our residents from the obvious failures of sanctuary state and city policies," he continued.
My message to Governor Phil Murphy and Democrat leadership is clear. We must stop the Biden administration from exacerbating the humanitarian crisis that they created by passing the buck on to New Jersey from New York City.https://t.co/XElF38Vomr
— Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (@tonybucco) August 31, 2023
State Senator Michael Testa, Assemblymen Antwan L. McClellan, and Erik K. Simonsen, all Republicans, put their own statement making clear their opposition, as they also laid out safety and security concerns for their state and its residents.
New Jersey should not be in the business of cleaning up Biden’s humanitarian crisis. Issues like what we are seeing in New York City were created by foolish sanctuary city policies that blatantly ignore the rule of law.https://t.co/Nk84sGiHOT
— Senator Michael Testa (@senatortesta) August 31, 2023
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is calling on Democratic legislative candidates to be asked "are you willing to house illegal immigrants and let your constituents pick up the tab for New York’s incompetency?"
RSLC Spokesperson Stephanie Rivera also further shut down the idea of involving New Jersey in a statement for Townhall, which also suggested it could become a campaign issue. "Joe Biden wants New Jersey to pay for New York's shortcomings by housing illegal immigrants and deal with his disastrous border policies that are jeopardizing the safety of our homeland. If any New Jersey Democrats stand by taking orders from New York Democrats they have no reason to serve in Trenton," she said.
The chaotic handling of the influx of migrants creates a situation of Democrats in disarray between the Biden administration, Hochul, and New York Mayor Eric Adams. And it's the fed-up taxpayers who will have to pay for it. As Bloomberg also mentioned:
The list of federally owned sites is the latest point of frustration in an escalating standoff between the Biden administration and New York state and local officials over how best to handle the migrants. The saga has exposed a messy rift among some of the country’s most high-profile Democrats leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
Adams has spent months publicly criticizing the Biden administration for its unwillingness to help the city with the logistics and costs of caring for the migrants. Hundreds are still arriving each week, and the city has set up more than 200 makeshift shelters over the past 18 months, in commercial hotels, office buildings and temporary tent structures at city- and state-run facilities.
City officials recently estimated the cost could reach $12 billion over the three-year period ending in July 2025.
White House officials and Hochul met on Wednesday to discuss the situation, which, according to a readout, focused on getting working permits for migrants.
Upon being questioned why Biden wasn't at the meeting during Thursday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stumbled her way through the answer, offering "there's a lot going on" and "the president has a lot on his plate," while also still claiming the issue is an important one to the president, since other officials still showed up.
A reporter asks Karine Jean-Pierre why Joe Biden refused to meet with New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 31, 2023
JEAN-PIERRE: "There's a lot going on...The president has a lot on his plate!" pic.twitter.com/d5KUuX111S
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