'Let them work': Hochul pressures Biden over New York's migrant surge

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul railed Thursday against the White House for not doing more to help the surge of migrants coming to New York, urging it to expedite work permits and increase federal aid.

In a livestreamed address from the state Capitol, the Democratic governor sought to redouble her efforts to address the 100,000 asylum-seekers who have come to New York City over the past year as polls show voters have soured on her response.

Hochul took to the podium to publicly put pressure on the Biden administration to provide more financial assistance and announced two new Department of Labor programs that will assist employers looking to hire migrants and migrants looking for jobs after obtaining work authorization.

“This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved with the federal government,” Hochul said, highlighting a letter she wrote Thursday to Biden.

The address shows the deepening divide among Democrats as the influx of migrants shows no signs of abating, straining services in New York and presenting a political liability for the party heading into the 2024 elections.

Hochul reiterated calls for an expedited work authorization process — a message that she and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have stressed repeatedly to President Joe Biden. But White House officials have put the blame to Congress for not changing immigration policy.

“For me, the answer to these two crises — a humanitarian crisis and our workforce crisis — is so crystal clear and common sense. Let them get the work authorizations; let them work; legally, let them work,” Hochul said.

She also called for the federal government to identify federally owned land and sites to use as temporary shelters for asylum-seekers. She asked for reimbursement for the use of 1,900 New York National Guard members who have been logistical and operational support to shelter the migrants across the state.

In a statement, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said the administration continues to work with New York, including a recent visit by senior adviser Tom Perez.

"We will continue to partner with communities across the country to ensure they can received the support they need. Only Congress can provide additional funding for these efforts, which this administration has already requested, and only Congress can fix the broken immigration system," Fernández Hernández said.

Last week, the Democratic governor announced she was nearing a deal to use Floyd Bennett Field, a federal facility in Brooklyn, but using the shelter for about 2,000 people had not yet been approved by the Biden administration.

Hochul’s handling of the migrant crisis has long been criticized, not only by political opponents but also by voters in recent polls.

While she’s allocated $1.5 billion in state aid to the problem — including a recent $20 million to accelerate the asylum application process — a Siena College poll on Tuesday found a majority of voters disapproved of the governor’s approach.

Hochul on Thursday was critical of ongoing actions by Adams to bus asylum-seekers to hotels in upstate New York, a move her administration has questioned in court papers and one that has riled local leaders — particularly the political battleground in the Hudson Valley where key congressional races will be held next year.

During her nearly 9-minute speech, Hochul noted that while the city is legally required to provide shelter to all who seek it, that does not apply to the rest of the state as the city claims in the legal case. Adams and Hochul have sought to show a united front publicly on the issue, but a different story is playing out in courts.

“This is an agreement that does not apply to the state’s other 57 counties, which is one of the reasons 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 said.

Many asylum-seekers placed outside the city have struggled to find work, and when they do, they are often exploited with wage theft, unsavory work conditions and threats of deportation from employers if they complain.

The goal of the two new initiatives by the state Department of Labor is to create a system in which when migrants obtain work authorization, they would be able to be quickly linked with an employer looking for help.

Hochul said there are roughly 460,000 job openings in New York as of June, which would be more than enough for every migrant job seeker. Her aides said at least 2,600 families have applied for asylum over the last two months.

“I am confident that if the federal government steps up and does its part, we will see this crisis through as New Yorkers,” Hochul said.