The Biden administration again shunted the responsibility of New York’s spiraling migrant crisis — this time by telling the Empire State’s private businesses to step up while it offers a measly $600 million to offset the multi-billion dollar crisis.
The proposal put forward by White House officials in a meeting with Gov. Kathy Hochul Wednesday suggested putting out a call to city companies to provide free services to the asylum seekers, including pro bono legal advice, The Post learned Thursday.
The request for handouts also extends to free help educating and consulting migrants on how to apply for work permits.
Meanwhile, the Biden admin said it would ask Congress for $600 million to help New York feed and house the crush of migrants arriving in the Big Apple under the president’s soft border policies.
Even if the Big Apple gets the paltry amount from the feds, the overall tally would be $746 million — just a fraction of the $5.2 billion already spent to care for the more than 107,000 asylum-seekers that have arrived from the southern border since spring 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams has also already warned the crisis could cost the city an eye-watering $12 billion by 2025.
The new strategy from the federal government — a slap in the face to NYC’s business community that demanded Biden take ownership of the immigration crisis — emerged just hours after Hochul trekked down to DC on Wednesday to meet with the president’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients.
The governor claimed she came out of Wednesday’s meeting “with a sense they are committed” after being promised a “surge of resources” into the city over the next couple of weeks.
AP
“They understand that a lot of time has passed and that this situation has only grown more dire,” the governor told NY1.
The proposal also came just days after the White House scoffed at the notion it is to blame for the influx, saying the Big Apple’s and state’s own issues caused the catastrophic mess.
New York City is currently caring for nearly 60,000 asylum seekers — and thousands of migrant kids are expected to start attending public school on Sept. 7, according to the Department of Education.
The flood continues to cripple the Big Apple’s resources, with officials scrambling to find places to house the roughly 3,000 migrants that have arrived each week recently, according to City Hall officials.
Meanwhile, New York City is still waiting for the “liaison” — a point person between the federal Department of Homeland Security and Mayor Adams’ administration promised during Hizzoner’s trip to Washington, DC on July 27.
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/08/31/biden-asks-for-600m-businesses-to-help-in-migrant-crisis/