Mayor Eric Adams’ agreement, announced Friday, to limit the time migrants can stay in shelters at taxpayers’ expense, is smoke and mirrors. It’s designed to fool you into thinking he’s solving a problem when he’s actually caving to the migrant industrial complex.
Adams claims the agreement, with the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, will allow the city to evict adult migrants from city-run shelters after 30 days, saving taxpayers money and limiting the need for more shelters. Not true.
The fine print says migrants have a shot at staying longer if they obtain a driver’s license, follow shelter rules and show good behavior, or — get this one — apply for public benefits. And this is a “non-exhaustive” list of reasons making migrants eligible to stay longer.
The agreement also applies only to single adults. A staggering 78% come with children and get priority placement in hotels. The city currently spends a whopping $387 a night for food and a roof alone for each family, and shells out more money for free medical care, education and legal services. This agreement does zero to alleviate those staggering costs.
The deal dooms New York City to fiscal disaster, because it will continue to be the No. 1 destination for migrants seeking a free roof over their heads. The Big Apple is now Migrant Central.
Worst of all, nothing in the agreement empowers the mayor to evict troublemakers who have repeat run-ins with police. The migrants who beat up cops in Time Square were living in shelters, courtesy of taxpayers, and already had long rap sheets.
When troublemakers are arrested and give a shelter address, the shelter should be contacted and told they no longer qualify. Why should taxpayers be footing the bill to house criminals?
Notorious gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 recruit from the shelters. How convenient that taxpayers pay to house these gangs’ lackeys.
In October, Adams imposed a 30-day limit on adult migrants but wound up in court when Legal Aid and the Coalition challenged. A long negotiation ensued, ending with Friday’s agreement.
Since 1981, Legal Aid and the Coalition have fought successfully to impose a “right to shelter” on New York. Now these two self-appointed guardians of the downtrodden — not elected by anyone — insist that the “right” applies not just to New Yorkers but anyone from anywhere in the world who wants shelter here. That’s crazy.
After months of negotiating, Adams capitulated. No one at the table was looking out for taxpayers or New Yorkers who see their services being cut and their neighborhoods disrupted by the proliferation of shelters. The multibillion-dollar shelter industry came out a winner, but Joe Public got shafted.
As the agreement was announced, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom praised the “right to shelter” and Legal Aid Society for the work they do. They’re all in bed together.
Josh Goldfein, a Legal Aid attorney, explained that despite the settlement, “no migrant would be left out on the streets.” In fact, the agreement bans the city from even making migrants sleep overnight in chairs while waiting to be placed, imposing stricter shelter requirements than before.
A “right to shelter” for anyone who shows up on Gotham’s doorsteps means New Yorkers who want sanitation services, police and fire protection, and other city amenities go to the back of the line. Their services get cut to pay for sheltering migrants. Adams needs to battle aggressively, up through the highest courts, to get that “right” reexamined.
Only New York has a “right to shelter,” and it makes the city the top destination for migrants. New York City spends more than 10 times as much as Los Angeles per migrant and more than five times as much as Chicago.
To top it off, the agreement and the Adams administration are renaming migrants “new arrivals,” whitewashing the laws they broke to get here.
Expect hundreds of thousands more to see these welcome signs and come. Who wouldn’t come?
On Sunday, Adams praised the city’s “responsible policies” and blamed “Republican extremists” for the border crisis. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but the crisis here in New York City is due to the lavish benefits local Democrats insist on offering “new arrivals.” There’s no whitewashing that.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York and chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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