New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) on Wednesday told the federal government to "deal with" the migrant crisis impacting his city.
"We are proud. We have done our part, but we need others to do their part. The federal government must step up and step in," he said in his State of the City address. "This is a national crisis that calls for a national solution so that our newest arrivals can contribute to our economy like the generations of immigrants before them. It is time for the federal government to deal with this federal crisis and make sure we can give them the opportunity."
"Let them work. Let them work," Adams added, apparently referencing his previous criticism of President Joe Biden for not expediting work permits for the illegal immigrants in his city.
Adams has not been shy about the difficulty the migrant crisis poses for his city. He said last month that the Big Apple will face "extremely painful" budget cuts in which "everything's on the table," though he said the city would attempt to mitigate the effect on low-income residents, as well as schools and public safety institutions.
Adams told a crowd at a town hall in September that he did not "see an ending to this" and that the issue would "destroy New York City."