‘Our Cup Has Runneth Over’: New York Says It Has No More Room for Migrants – News18

New York’s mayor Eric Adams said New York City can house no more migrants earlier this week. New York authorities will hand over flyers to immigrants at the US-Mexico border encouraging them to go to other US cities.

A report by the news agency AFP said that over 90,000 migrants, mainly from Central and South America, arrived in New York City in April 2022.

“Our cup has basically runneth over. We have no more room in the city,” Eric Adams, New York City mayor was quoted as saying by AFP.

The officials said that around 106,000 people, including some 54,000 migrants, currently live in New York City’s care, either in shelters or hotels.

The flyers to be handed to the migrants at the US-Mexico border warn them of the excessive costs of living in New York and will highlight that the cost of food, transportation, and other necessities “is the highest in the United States”.

“There is no guarantee we will be able to provide shelter and services to new arrivals. Please consider another city as you make your decision about where to settle in the US,” it reads.

Adams has voiced his disapproval towards how the federal government, i.e. the Biden administration, has handled the issue. Adams said people at the border should be faced with the “real reality” and pointed to the federal government.

“We cannot continue to absorb tens of thousands of newcomers on our own without the help of the state and federal government,” Adams, himself a Democrat, said.

“Our compassion is infinite. Our space is not,” a New York official responsible for the emergency housing for the migrants said.

Adams also announced that single adult migrants will have to reapply for shelter after 60 days so that space can be made available for families with children. He added that the city would help migrants find alternative housing arrangements with friends, family and other networks.

The New York mayor has been gradually trying to restrict the number of new arrivals to New York City, which has long been a sanctuary city for migrants.