The Biden administration responded Monday to criticism from New York elected officials over the migrant crisis, citing "structural and operational issues" with the state and city’s response.
Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sent letters to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City mayor Eric Adams, citing two dozen areas where the city needs to improve its response to the crisis, Politico reported. The letters urged the city to improve data collection and "communications" with migrants in order to facilitate applications for asylum and work authorization.
The letters come the day after an anti-migrant protest in the city turned violent outside the mayor’s official residence.
Hochul and Adams have both criticized the federal government for not doing enough to alleviate the crisis.
At the same time, tensions have risen between Adams and Hochul over the handling of the crisis. Hochul recently criticized Adams, blaming him for the shortage of migrant housing. On Tuesday, Adams hit back, saying Hochul needed to aid the city in processing migrants by having other New York counties share the burden.
A recent poll showed that 82 percent of New Yorkers consider the influx of migrants a "serious" problem, with 54 percent saying it is "very serious."