'Federal Responsibility': Hochul Asks Biden To Act In Migrant Crisis

Editor's Note: This archived article is from August 2023.

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — New York shouldn't have to clean up the federal government's migrant mess, Gov. Kathy Hochul told President Joe Biden in a starkly worded plea for help.

"I cannot ask New Yorkers to pay for what is fundamentally a federal responsibility," Hochul wrote to President Joe Biden. Hochul sent the Biden administration a formal letter that requested the president take desperately needed executive action on the migrant crisis, which has brought 100,000 asylum seekers into the state, largely New York City.

The letter came with four demands that Hochul outlined in a 10-minute address to New Yorkers on Thursday (see video above).

• Expedite work authorizations for asylum seekers
• Provide significant financial support for federal housing vouchers, schools, health care, shelter, legal services and other costs related to migrants
• Access to more federal facilities, such as Floyd Bennett Field, where new temporary shelters can be built
• Reimburse the state’s $22 million per month cost for National Guard members who are helping with the crisis

"The reality is we’ve managed thus far without substantive support from Washington," she said. "While the State appreciates the $145 million contribution that the federal government has made to this effort, this allotment of funds is insufficient."

But Hochul's address didn't just blame the Biden administration for the crisis.

She blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's "despicable" decision to use asylum seekers as political pawns by shipping them to New York City.

Migrants deserve compassion, she argued, noting that they're literally fleeing for the lives from political strife, gang violence, extreme poverty and persecution.

"People are coming here to seek asylum status here in the United States, so they can be safe," she said. "They're coming to this country with the same goal that my once impoverished Irish grandparents did, just to build a better life for themselves and their families."

Hochul explained why migrants have heading primarily to New York City: In 1981, she said, the City of New York and a Coalition for the Homeless signed an agreement that the city would provide shelter to anyone who seeks it.

"This is an agreement that does not apply to the state's other 57 counties, which is one of the reasons we cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants, nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will," Hochul said.

Hochul said she believes the state has a "moral imperative to help these new arrivals," but added that without much-needed changes at the border, "there does not appear to be a solution to this federal problem anytime soon."

Allowing the asylum seekers to work, Hochul said, will also help businesses struggling across New York State to find workers during a time when shortages have some businesses curtailing hours or shutting their doors on certain days.

Hochul said she would order the Department of Labor to "proactively connect asylum seekers" with potential employers in anticipation of them receiving the work authorization before they're already authorized. "Let them work," she said.

Until then, Hochul said funding and sites from the federal government to "help cover the massive, massive expenses of sheltering tens of thousands of people in our country, in our state today," is critical. And, she added, comprehensive immigration reform from Congress remains a top priority.

"The borders and decisions about who can work are solely determined by the federal government," she said.

Hochul's letter to Biden can be seen here.

According to State of Politics, a spokesperson for the Biden administration responded that only Congress can do what Hochul wants.

"Without congressional action, this administration has been working to build a safe, orderly and humane immigration system and has worked to identify ways to improve efficiencies and maximize the resources the federal government can provide to communities across the country to support the flow of migrants," the spokesperson said in a statement, State of Politics reported.

Elected officials from across the Hudson Valley reacted to Hochul's call-out to the federal government.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler put out a fundraising letter.

This country doesn’t need partisan games, grandstanding, or any other kind of self-serving shenanigans from their elected officials.

They need Congressmen and women who are willing to put politics aside for the good of the people they represent.

That’s exactly what I did when I met with President Biden when he traveled to the Hudson Valley in May.

I urged him to work with Speaker McCarthy on a bipartisan solution to the debt ceiling – work with, negotiate, compromise – whatever it takes to deliver positive results for the American people.

We also discussed the border crisis, and I told him point-blank that something’s got to change. Mayor Adams’ unilateral decision to ship unvetted adult male migrants from New York City to the Hudson Valley was unacceptable.

I explained how fixing our border is another opportunity for him to work with Republicans to get things done for you.

Lawler's spokesman, Nate Soule, told Patch:

Congressman Lawler has been vocal in his advocacy for additional funds from the Biden administration to help our local non-profits, food banks, and municipalities deal with this surge. He has constantly called for this from day one of being in office, including holding a press conference with Rockland County Executive Ed Day back in March to highlight their concerns. However, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams’ decision to sustain New York City as a sanctuary city has led to this humanitarian debacle we see playing out in New York City and, increasingly, across the state.

The failure of both parties in Washington to institute real immigration and border security reforms for decades has brought us here, which is why Congressman Lawler is leading on this issue, supporting both the Dignity Act and the Secure the Border Act in order to secure our border and fix our broken immigration system. These pieces of legislation aim to streamline the legal immigration process, find a solution to the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the US, and crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking by securing our border.

Congressman Lawler will continue to work with people in both parties to solve these and the other pressing problems facing our nation.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day sent a letter Friday to the governor, supporting her stand that the problem and the solution are national and must be solved by federal lawmakers working with the executive branch, and again criticizing Mayor Eric Adams for trying to export "his" migrant crisis to other localities.

"No amount of money nor space will solve this issue," he wrote. "Failure to do so will predictably continue to exacerbate the situation."

Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Yorktown) announced he was starting an investigation of Hochul's handling of the crisis.

A week before Hochul's letter to Biden, U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-19) issued a statement about the migrant crisis that reiterated House Republicans' stance on the issue, which among other things would limit what public buildings could be used as temporary shelters.

Governor Kathy Hochul and other state leaders are finally recognizing the current migrant policy lacks compassion, competence and coherence. I have been warning about this for months — and have pressed her, city leaders and the White House to take action. Representatives Mike Lawler, Pat Ryan and I joined in calling for the President to declare a Federal State of Emergency; and, I asked the Governor join in that request.

Instead of pointing fingers at other top Democrats, we need our state leaders to get to work. Earlier this year, the House passed legislation to strengthen border security and make compassionate reforms to the immigration system by improving protections for unaccompanied children, keeping families together, and streamlining the asylum process. More recently, the House passed my bipartisan bill to prevent K-12 schools from being used as migrant shelters. So far, the Senate and White House have yet to act on either of these necessary bills. New York State leaders must pressure the White House and Senate to act in a bipartisan manner to pass our bills and provide relief so we can begin the difficult work of compassionately addressing this crisis.

Biden had said he would veto the House bill because it expanded border-wall building and restricted legal pathways for immigrants, the Associated Press reported in May.