Mayor Adams says NYC is not prepared for migrant surge

Fears of migrant surge as Title 42 set to expire next week

Federal and local officials are preparing for a surge of migrants ahead of the forced end of Title 42, a Trump-era border policy that allowed officials to turn away migrants encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border.

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said that the city cannot deal with another influx of migrants this winter, should Title 42, a federal policy used by the Biden and Trump administrations to prevent asylum seekers from entering the U.S. during a public health emergency, expire.

"The flow of asylum seekers to New York City has slowed in recent months but the tool that the federal government has used to manage those coming over the border is set to expire this week, and we have been told in no uncertain terms that, beginning today, we should expect an influx of busses coming from the border and that more than 1,000 additional asylum seekers will arrive in New York City every week," Adams said in a statement on Sunday.

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending the Trump-era policy, which requires asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. However, beginning next Wednesday, immigration authorities can no longer use Title 42 to quickly expel prospective asylum-seekers.

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"Our shelter system is full, and we are nearly out of money, staff, and space. Truth be told, if corrective measures are not taken soon, we may very well be forced to cut or curtail programs New Yorkers rely on, and the pathway to house thousands more is uncertain. These are not choices we want to make, but they may become necessary, and I refuse to be forced to choose new arrivals over current New Yorkers. I’ll say it again — we need a plan, we need assistance, and we need it now," Adams said.

So far, New York has welcomed nearly 31,000 migrants and has opened 60 emergency shelters, four humanitarian relief centers, and two welcome centers. 

While the flow of asylum seekers to the city has slowed in recent weeks, Adams said that the city was informed that an influx of busses from the border would be coming imminently.