- New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a $2.4 billion plan to deal with the influx of immigrants overwhelming New York City's homeless shelters.
- The proposal is part of a $233 billion budget plan by the governor's office, which has begun negotiations with legislative leaders.
- The treatment of immigrants, including the approximately 70,000 people in New York City, had been a key issue ahead of Congress.
New York Gov. Cathy Hochul announced Tuesday that she wants to spend $2.4 billion to care for the large number of immigrants who are overwhelming New York City's homeless shelters, creating a toxic political issue for Democrats in her annual state budget proposal. We are working.
The immigration spending plan, which includes shelter services and legal aid, is part of a $233 billion budget proposal from the governor's office and begins months of negotiations with legislative leaders. Become.
How the governor plans to deal with immigrants, about 70,000 of whom are in New York City custody, was a looming question ahead of the legislative session.
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The governor did not address the issue in his State of the Union address last week, and the word “immigrant” was not mentioned in his detailed 181-page policy plan, an omission that many on Capitol Hill criticized. did.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul presents the state's 2025 executive budget in the Red Room of the State Capitol in Albany, New York, on January 16, 2024. Hochul plans to address the massive influx of immigrants overwhelming New York. The city wants to spend $2.4 billion on homeless shelters. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
The issue could hurt Democratic House candidates this fall, with New York expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans have been steadily criticizing President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats over federal immigration policy, and the conversation has already spilled over into New York state's racial crisis.
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Mr. Hochul, who has at times battled with Mayor Eric Adams' administration over New York City's immigration response, has for months pledged new financial aid to help the city's asylum seekers. was.The state has already allocated $1.9 billion in emergency funds.
Adams himself spent the last week recalibrating his budget projections, rescinding a handful of cuts he had planned after his office lowered its estimates of how much the immigration crisis will cost the city. did.
Under Hochul's plan, the $2.4 billion earmarked for migrants would go toward short-term shelter services, medical care and the cost of large emergency housing centers set up to handle the influx of asylum seekers. is.
According to her proposal, the money would also be used to pay for legal aid to help immigrants process asylum and work permits.
