New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) on Friday declared a state of emergency over the thousands of illegal immigrants arriving in the sanctuary city.
Since the spring, border states have bussed 17,000 migrants to New York City—only a fraction of the 2 million migrants flooding cities in Texas, Arizona, and Florida. The left-wing mayor, who has invited immigrants to the city, on Friday declared the influx of migrants a "crisis."
"This is a humanitarian crisis that started with violence and instability in South America and is being accelerated by American political dynamics," Adams said Friday. "This crisis is not of our own making but one that will affect everyone in this city, now and in the months ahead."
Adams in 2019 responded to then-president Donald Trump's stricter immigration policies by welcoming immigrants to his city.
"To anyone in the world fleeing hatred and oppression, the ultimate city of immigrants wants you to remember: You're ALWAYS welcome here," Adams said in a 2019 Twitter post.
Adams is the latest Democrat to plead for help after border states sent migrants to blue-state cities, giving the cities a small taste of the crisis at the border. Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser (D.) in early September declared a state of emergency. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker (D.) issued an emergency disaster proclamation and activated the National Guard in response to the migrant rush.
Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) said in August that Adams's complaints about immigration expose the mayor's "rank hypocrisy."
"Mayor Adams said that they welcome in illegal immigrants," Abbott told Fox News. "And now once they have to deal with the reality of it, they're suddenly flummoxed, and they cannot handle it."
Adams in a Friday speech called for federal and state funding, projecting that care for asylum seekers will exceed $1 billion this fiscal year. The emergency declaration also suspends land use requirements so that the city can more rapidly build tent camps for the migrants.
"It is straining the limits of our ability to provide care for New Yorkers in need, and it is burning through our city's budget," the mayor said. "It is not sustainable, and it is not right."
The city of New York is looking to house illegal immigrants on cruise ships. Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed on Saturday to Fox News that the city government has proposed the plan, but both sides have not yet reached a deal.