NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a set of proposals that he says will protect longtime New Yorkers, as well as Caribbean and other immigrants and asylum seekers from violent, repeat offenders following “a productive initial conversation” with senior officials of United States President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Adams said the meeting with the incoming “border czar” Tom Homan and Biden Administration Homeland Security official Kenneth Genalo took place at the US Department of Homeland Security in Washington.
The mayor said the plan comes on the heels of New York City spending more than US$6.65 billion “with little to no help from the federal government” to provide shelter and a range of services to the more than 225,000 Caribbean and other migrants who have journeyed from the southern border to New York City in the past two-plus years.
Immigration advocates say many of the migrants arriving in New York City from the southern border include nationals from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Adams said the proposals, which will continue to be updated and informed in collaboration with local, state and federal government partners, law enforcement, advocates and the immigrant community, include continuing to advocate for bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform, which includes a national resettlement strategy; work authorization; legal pathways for asylum seekers already in cities; funding for municipalities; and securing of the southern border.
The mayor said other proposals are exploring lawful processes to remove from New York City individuals who have been convicted of a major felony and lack legal status to remain in the United States; encouraging immigrant New Yorkers to come forward if they have been a victim of a crime or witnessed a crime without fear of deportation.
He said it also establishes a “Safe Communities Working Group,” consisting of local, state and federal officials, immigrant community stakeholders, legal experts, and faith and business leaders to make recommendations on new policy interventions to keep both longtime New Yorkers and immigrants safe.
Additionally, the mayor said the proposals include launching an awareness campaign to combat misinformation and to encourage Caribbean and other immigrants and asylum seekers to continue to feel safe in engaging with essential city services, including public schools, hospital systems and public safety agencies.
Adams said a major topic of discussion at Thursday’s meeting included the 500,000 migrant children who have come into the United States with sponsors but whose location is currently unknown.
“We are a city of immigrants, and we will always be true to those roots, but we also have to be honest and be clear that our immigration system is broken, and a small number of repeat, violent offenders are taking advantage of that broken system.
“It is a privilege to live in this incredible city — and the overwhelming majority of immigrants who came here know that, follow the law, and want to work as they seek the American Dream,” Adams said, adding “but those who break the law and endanger others should be removed from our city after they have served jail time”.
In his meeting with the Homan and Genalo, Adams said they “discussed the issues in our immigration system, including how there are 500,000 migrant youth in the country whose location is currently unknown.
“We don’t know if these children are in school, if they are safe, or if they are being exploited. We must find and protect these youth, and we must protect all those immigrants who contribute so much to our society, while ensuring accountability for those who break the law.
“We will always fight to protect New York values and all those, including immigrants, who contribute so much to our society,” the mayor assured.
In addition to discussing proposals that will hold violent repeat offenders accountable, Adams is also proposing a border resettlement strategy aimed at aligning Caribbean and asylum seekers with cities and counties across the nation experiencing workforce shortages “so that the limited resources of a handful of cities are not being overburdened”.
He is also proposing federal funding, “as cities should not be financially responsible for a national issue as New York City has already spent more than US$6.65 billion to date on asylum seeker response efforts since April 2022.”
The mayor proposes granting work authorization to immigrants, which provides economic benefits, both for the individuals and households involved and for the broader US economy, and expedited work authorization pathways for immigrants already in the US.
In addition, the mayor calls for support for a bipartisan deal that would provide a legislative solution for Dreamers, children who came to the US illegally with their parents; increased border and security measures; and the adoption of “meaningful steps” to modernize the country’s broken immigration system, among providing other solutions.
Adams also proposes restrictions at the southern border and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for new immigrants.
But immigration advocates in New York on Thursday strongly condemned the mayor’s meeting with Homan, saying that it came amid increasing concerns that the mayor allegedly may be trying to align himself with Trump, his administration, and the Republican Party, while navigating his own legal challenges.
“It’s despicable that Mayor Adams continues to shirk his responsibilities to uphold New York City’s existing policies and values as a sanctuary city by collaborating with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan,” Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“New Yorkers know that, under Homan, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) will be used to divide us, cruelly targeting and demonizing immigrants, while making every New Yorker even more unsafe.
“Too many of us remember the gunfire and street brawl that took place as a result of ICE’s actions in a residential Brooklyn neighborhood, in 2020, which resulted in an immigrant New Yorker being shot in the face.
“Targeting immigrants for arrests and deportation is destructive and diverts resources away from initiatives that actually promote safety and well-being. Mayor Adams has an obligation to every New York family to maintain our public safety by refusing to participate in ICE’s cruel, politicized immigration agenda.
Awawdeh said vaious studies “shows that cities with large immigrant populations are safer than those with fewer immigrants, and places with sanctuary policies have lower crime rates”. (CMC)
