Andrew Cuomo says Biden opened border 'without having a plan' to handle migrants: 'It was a mistake'

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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that it was a "mistake" for President Biden to "open the border" without first having a plan to handle the inevitable influx of migrants into the country.

During his weekly podcast, Cuomo argued that "you can't change a policy unless you have the program in place to manage the change."

"It was a mistake for President Biden to open the border without having a plan to handle the tremendous flow of people," he said. "Politicians make promises in campaigns, that's what they do. But government officials, professionals, need to understand the consequences of enacting those promises."

"The southern states were right, that opening the border created a tremendous hardship for them to handle," he continued. "They were right that the federal government was not prepared. But they were wrong in using migrants as political pawns and shipping them all around the country."

Andrew Cuomo leaves Il Postino restaurant in New York City after having dinner with Kellyanne Conway on Dec. 19, 2022. (Gardiner Anderson for NY Daily News via Getty Images)

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The Democrat, who resigned in disgrace in 2021 amid multiple scandals involving sexual harassment and nursing home deaths, offered praise for Biden’s new immigration policy announced last month that expands the humanitarian parole program for Venezuelan nationals to include Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans, which is combined with an expansion of Title 42 expulsions. 

The administration also announced an increased use of an alternative removal authority — expedited removal — to remove those who do not claim asylum and who cannot be expelled under Title 42, and the administration will triple refugee resettlement from Latin American and Caribbean countries, setting a goal of up to 20,000 refugees for FY 2023 and FY 2024.

Cuomo said Thursday that the new approach could work, because the influx of migrants slows only when "people hear the United States is curbing immigration."

"People don't embark on these difficult journeys, without factoring in the likelihood of success," he said.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is critical of President Biden's handling of the southern border. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

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Cuomo also criticized his successor, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, for being slow to assist New York City with the tens of thousands of migrants who have been flooding in.

"First of all, New York City should have never accepted responsibility on its own," Cuomo said. "In my opinion, the mayor should have said that New York state needed to handle the problem. Yes, New York City is a sanctuary city, but New York state is a sanctuary state. This was a state problem."

Migrants are seen outside the Watson Hotel in New York City on Jan. 30, 2023. (Jennifer Mitchell for Fox News Digital)

Migrants are seen outside the Watson Hotel in New York City on Jan. 30, 2023. (Jennifer Mitchell for Fox News Digital)

"State officials and legislators all proclaim they support immigration," he added. "So let them now accept the responsibility. Talk the talk, now walk the walk, house them in your neighborhood."

More than 43,000 migrants have entered New York City in the past year, with 28,400 living in dozens of hotels, relief centers and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, the New York Post reported.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

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