NYC Democrat slams governor, Biden over migrants as police leave at record rate
Democratic New York City Councilman Robert Holden on the city building new 'mega shelters' for migrants and the need for stronger support of the NYPD.
A Democratic New York City councilman is calling out his own party and the Biden administration over policies contributing to the surge of migrants into the Big Apple.
Robert Holden joined "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday to discuss why he opposes the immigration policies of the Biden administration and criticized Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Holden said New York City Mayor Eric Adams is "trying" to come up with plans to deal with the influx, including reportedly repurposing a building in Times Square that was the former home of a 24-hour McDonald's.
A Times Square McDonald's, now closed, will reportedly turn into a shelter for migrants. (Associated Press )
"I don't like the governor's approach, and I don't like Biden's approach. It's wrong for the United States and certainly wrong for New York City," said Holden.
Adams has called for help from the Biden administration as he tries to find places for the migrants to go, including to dozens of hotels throughout the city.
Holden said the migrants should "should stay in Mexico," and noted that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Manhattan is "booked for the next 10 years."
Because of this, Holden said, asylum applications cannot be processed, so migrants are unable to work. In the meantime, migrants are receiving "shelter, they're getting food, clothing, and they're getting cell phones," he said.
ADAMS UNVEILS NYC MIGRANT BLUEPRINT WITH NATIONAL RESETTLEMENT IMPLICATIONS WHILE STUMPING FOR BIDEN
Migrants camp out in front of the Watson Hotel in New York City after being evicted on Feb. 1, 2023. (Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress)
"What are we supposed to do? Keep these people in shelters and pay for it? It's going to be $5 billion soon that the city has to pay for. And guess who's going to pay for it — the taxpayers of New York City."
Adams, a Democrat, is hoping to send illegal migrants to college for free, with taxpayers footing the bill that could cost around $1.2 million in the first year.
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Adams' plan, according to a report from the New York Post, could go on indefinitely and would provide an estimated 100 migrants with 12 months of classes, room and board in upstate Sullivan County.
The pilot program will be overseen by Adams' newly created Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, which works on the coordination of the city’s continued response to a large influx of migrants with a focus on resettlement and legal services, as well as a new 24/7 arrival center for asylum seekers.
"We've got to pay for our kids. We've got to work for years to pay for our kids' education, or they take out student loans, but [migrants] are getting free college," Holden told Brian Kilmeade.
Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
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