New York City–and the rest of the country–are now living in a post-Title 42 world. The end of this COVID-era policy that allowed the US to turn migrants away in the name of public health has many worried about the consequences not just at the southern border, but in urban centers that already have been dealing with migrant surges.
The tremors from Title 42’s end have already begun to be felt in the Big Apple. The New York Times said (in a moderate projection) that as many as 1,000 migrants could arrive per day. Reports are surfacing of homeless veterans being booted from hotels, Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order suspending right-to-shelter rules, plans are being scrapped together to house migrants in public schools, and buses full of migrants from the city to Rockland and Orange Counties have begun arriving despite both counties’ opposition and states of emergency to stop Adams’ plan. All of this is occurring while many allege that despite her rhetoric, Governor Kathy Hochul is largely MIA.
In short: this is unadulterated and costly anarchy. Earlier this month, Adams said the city was estimating that it would spend a whopping $4.3 billion over the next two years to cover the costs of the migrant influx; roughly 37 percent of that was likely to be covered by the state and federal governments. Local suburban leaders are already furious with Adams over his plans to use any space available, and that steep bill won’t make things any better. Adams himself has been roundly criticized on literally every front, from his work efficiency to the borderline inhumanity of his executive order to his heavy-handed tactics in busing migrants around.
One can make the argument that Adams and other New York political leaders have been dealt an unwinnable hand. Indeed, the Biden administration has been poor on the immigration issue essentially from the very beginning, and this moment may be their worst. Having no strong federal policy puts the strain of a national issue on local government, which is what is happening in New York and elsewhere. And that strain is intense.
But regardless of making excuses or providing explanations, the crisis of leadership and the crisis of migrants are poised to worsen in the days to come. That $4.3 billion number won’t vanish overnight.
