New York, NY—Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams released “The Road Forward: Blueprint to Address New York City’s Response to the Asylum Seeker Crisis,” an overview of his administration’s plan for handling the next phase of the city’s response to the 50,000 asylum seekers who have arrived in NYC since last spring.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition, response to the report:
“Today, Mayor Adams and his team recapped the administration's response to managing the integration and support of newly arrived asylum seekers. Yet, more than six months after the first buses started arriving, the Mayor’s strategy for integrating asylum seekers seems to be vague, and most shockingly will only meaningfully benefit a very small percentage of our new arrivals. Amongst the most glaring exclusions in ‘The Road Forward’ is the lack of any mention of increased funding to ensure that asylum seekers are able to get the legal support they need to navigate our complicated immigration legal system. Without the increased resources, it’s unclear how the administration is going to meet the legal needs of asylum seekers. Moreover, the newly released report has no details on how the administration plans to move our unhoused neighbors including asylum seekers to more permanent housing, especially since the temporary shelters built for asylum seekers are clearly inadequate. We are encouraged to see the Adams administration recognize the need for workforce development. But unfortunately the limited scale and scope of what was outlined is far from sufficient, considering the sheer number of asylum seekers needing assistance to enter the labor market. This new report is an important starting point for developing a coordinated strategy between the city, state and federal levels, as well as establishing permanent programs to move the City from a state of emergency to standard operating procedures. However, much more will need to be done to truly support all our newest New Yorkers so they are not just integrated, but can thrive.”