New York, NY—Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his second State of the City address, barely mentioning the needs of immigrant New Yorkers. In his hour-long address, Mayor Adams briefly spoke of the work the City has done to welcome asylum seekers, but spent most of that time calling on other levels of government for help. This is following Mayor Adams’ proposed preliminary budget for fiscal year 2024, with relatively little investment made to support immigrants and asylum seekers.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Today, Mayor Adams spoke on creating jobs, safety and housing in New York City. ‘Everyone needs care, not just in crisis, but throughout our lives,’ said the Mayor, who then excluded immigrants and asylum seekers from his vision for NYC. By rendering us invisible he failed to acknowledge a large proportion of New York’s population and the crucial role our communities have played in keeping New York open for business throughout this pandemic. He also failed to properly address the housing crisis with solutions that will ensure our newest arrivals and longtime New Yorkers have more than just prayers to get back on their feet and thrive. We need bold solutions and actions that will move this city and all New Yorkers forward. Scapegoating asylum seekers and immigrants for his administration’s failures is callous and dangerous. Mayor Adam’s still has time to course correct by investing in English Language Learner (ELL) Transfer Schools Programs, hiring bilingual social workers in schools, legal services, and expanding eligibility to CityFEPS and other vouchers programs to move people out of shelters and into long-term housing. These are common-sense solutions that ensure all New Yorkers have a real shot at supporting their families and contributing to the vitality of this city. Mayor Adams, you can bring everyone out of the shadows to build a better and stronger New York. We call on the Mayor to get stuff done for our city so all who call it home can thrive here.”
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