As reported last week, New York City’s resources are straining under the influx of 100,000 asylum-seekers arriving in NYC since last Spring; the City Shelter population is at a record high, and the crisis is expected to cost the city $12 billion within three years.
This past Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso joined by NYC Mayor Eric Adams, fellow elected officials, labor leaders, and immigrants’ rights groups at Brooklyn Borough Hall sent a clarion call to state and Federal administrators and the private sector: New York City is in desperate need for funding and strategic involvement to help serve asylum-seekers. Nearly 100,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in NYC since the spring 2022, and a record 108,400 people are currently sleeping in city shelters.

Among the participants, in addition to Adams and Reynoso, were: Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Jabari Brisport, Assembly Member Robert Carroll, Assembly Member Lester Chang, Council Member Alexa Avilés, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), New York Immigration Coalition, The Legal Aid Society, Mixteca, Bridge Street Development Corporation, Brooklyn elected officials and Immigrants’ rights advocates.
“Today, our call to action is loud and clear: the Federal and State administrations and private sector must aid New York City in addressing the migrant crisis – the well-being of our city demands it,” said Reynoso.
“As Borough President, I am ready to do my part in welcoming our new neighbors. Earlier this summer, I offered to the Adams Administration that Borough Hall could be used as a shelter for migrants, a promise that I stand ready to fulfill. The City of New York is stepping up to provide for our new neighbors, but we cannot do it alone, and many of the partners that we need have been absent for far too long. I implore President Biden, Governor Hochul, and the private sector to step up.”
At the Tuesday, press conference Mayor Adams pushed the pedal hard on his continuing demands for federal assistance to turn the tide on the ongoing migrant crisis.
“There is no reason the national government is not standing true to the basic principle of the American experience to allow you the right to work. It’s unfair as the city continues to evolve that a national crisis and humanitarian crisis of a level that has never been experienced before is now dropped into the lap of this city with no support.
In his call for work permits for migrants, supported by Hochul, Adams said the delays in processing were “unacceptable.”

Reynoso firmly warned that the migrant crisis could harm the Democrats in the 2024 election. “We need those seats,” he said. “I want to be very clear that this can be used against the Democratic Party during these congressional races.”
“This is the greatest challenge our city has faced in decades,” Adams told the rally. “We’ve got to get it right.”
But the effort to find solutions is in overdrive. Last May, Borough President Reynoso proposed immediate legal opportunities for Governor Hochul, Mayor Adams, and the New York City Council to open up tens of thousands of NYC apartments for New Yorkers living in city shelters and expand immediate and long-term housing opportunities across the state – including inviting the Mayor to use Brooklyn Borough Hall as a shelter for migrants.
In a few days, NYC will open a new migrant mega-shelter on Randall’s Island in New York City.