Fifty-four Democratic lawmakers joined State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Queens) in signing a letter on Wednesday demanding President Biden provide immediate assistance with the migrant crisis currently overwhelming the City.
Many of the signers represent some of the New York’s largest immigrant communities are asking President Biden to declare a federal state of emergency, expedite work authorization for migrants, fix the flow at the border, and provide more dollars to handle the flow of asylum seekers.
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The letter begins – “We are elected officials from New York City requesting your help. Our City is experiencing an unprecedented migrant influx, with a surge of asylum seekers arriving here in numbers never seen before in history.”
“We take pride in New York being a beacon of hope for immigrants, but the influx of migrants is so great that the City is running out of resources.”
It also mentions begs Biden to provide assistance to “one of the most significant humanitarian crises New York City has ever faced” and is at “a breaking point.”
The lawmakers are calling for an organized system at the southern border “to fairly distribute newcomers across the country”, that would include screening for those claiming asylum and establishing a plan for migrant’s arrival.
New York City has seen more than 90,000 migrants since last year, a much greater number than its resources can provide for.
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, and Assembly members Michael Benedetto and Jeff Dinowitz and Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez from The Bronx; Assembly members Harvey Epstein and Rebecca Wright and Council members Keith Powers, Julie Menen.
The White House had no immediate comment.
