New York City officials warn of far-reaching implications of the current migrant crisis if Democratic lawmakers get their way if they win in the ballot.
Authorities leading the legal fight against a closed Catholic school on Staten Island being turned into a migrant shelter sounded the alarm. They were concerned about the possibility of Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul getting power to implement policies regarding granting asylum seekers work authorization.
NYC's Migrant Crisis
During a press conference outside of a courthouse on Thursday, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella issued the warning. It was made before a hearing regarding a lawsuit that he brought himself and others objecting to the placement of migrants at the former St. John Villa Academy.
His remarks noted that the city council passed a law to allow non-citizens the right to vote two years ago. One of the conditions for this was that they could vote in municipal elections if they had work permits. This means that if work permits are granted to migrants, they could then be allowed to vote in municipal elections if the appellate division reverses the trial court, as per Fox News.
Fossella noted that giving tens of thousands of migrants the right to vote in municipal elections is a bad idea and policy. The legislation passed by the New York City Council in December 2021 sought to allow non-citizens who had been lawful permanent residents of the city for at least 30 days.
It would include those authorized to work in the U.S., including so-called "Dreamers," to vote in municipal elections to help choose the city's mayor, council members, borough presidents, comptroller, and public advocate.
However, the law, which was supposed to go into effect in January 2023, was struck down by a state Supreme Court justice on Staten Island. He said that it violated the State Constitution. Justice Ralph J. Porzio also ruled in June 2022 that giving non-citizens the right to vote would require a referendum.
Work Permits for Asylum Seekers
The situation comes as the White House is sending a team of federal staffers as interpreters and support staff starting on Wednesday to help asylum seekers obtain the work permits they would need to be able to look for jobs, according to NBC New York.
The United States faces a rising number of migrants seeking asylum, with roughly 59,000 people currently in New York City shelters. Gov. Hochul's administration has also been looking for ways to get around the long wait for work permits at the federal level, including a state-level worker permit program.
On the other hand, Adams claimed starkly that New York City is ravaged by an influx of 110,000 asylum seekers from the southern border. He said that he could not see a solution to address the issue.
The Democrat has clashed with leading members of his party as he struggled to provide housing and services to the migrants traveling to the U.S. For several months, the mayor has criticized United States President Joe Biden and Hochul for allegedly failing to help the city handle the surge of migrants, said the New York Times.
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