NYC Mayor Adams says he hasn’t met with Biden in 2023 over migrant crisis: ‘It baffles me’

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said this week he hasn’t met with President Biden in 2023 over the city’s ongoing migrant crisis, as he renewed his calls for more action from the federal government to help the "sanctuary" city with the numbers it is seeing.

Adams was asked at a press conference about his being unable to meet with Biden about the crisis.

"I met with the president several times on this issue in ‘21 I think early 2022, the dates get confused," he said.

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 New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. (Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

"It baffles me. New York City is the economic engine of the state and of the country. And I don't have the answer." 

Adams noted that a coalition of mayors from other cities hit by the crisis have joined together to put pressure on the federal government. Together they have called for $5 billion in assistance from the Biden administration, in addition to other actions, including expedited work permits and help with resettlement.

"I have to keep hammering away at this issue and I am really pleased we are now getting a chorus of other cities that are now joining us," Adams said.

NYC has had over 150,000 migrants enter its shelter system over the last year and while that is a small number compared to the millions encountered at the border, Adams has warned that the flow will "destroy" the city. The city recently slashed budgets, including for policing, education and sanitation, over the billions of dollars the crisis will cost.

The numbers have been exacerbated by buses sent by the state of Texas, which has been sending tens of thousands of migrants to "sanctuary" cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., and NYC. On Tuesday, Texas sent its first flight to NYC, but it was diverted to Philadelphia.

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Adams has criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, but has also been searing in his criticism of the federal government, leading to tensions between the administration and Adams’ administration.

Adams has met with White House officials, including multiple meetings with top adviser Tom Perez on the issue. But there have so far been not sit-downs this year with the president himself.

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The Biden administration has previously pointed to funding it has provided to cities like New York City, as well as teams to help with processing work permits and making recommendations for improvements. Meanwhile, it has called on Congress to provide additional funding as part of its budget supplemental. 

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That supplemental is currently being held up in Washington, D.C., as lawmakers debate additional restrictions on asylum. A resolution is not expected until early 2024. As they debate, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said last week that November saw over 242,000 migrant encounters at the southern border – the highest November on record.