New York City Mayor Eric Adams visits D.C. to address migrant issues

WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Eric Adams met Thursday with congressional leaders and Biden administration officials to discuss his city’s growing population of migrants.

Adams met with Democratic lawmakers from New York, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He also met with Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Asked by reporters in Washington if he sought a meeting with President Joe Biden during the trip or intended to speak with him soon, Adams said: “Every time I come to DC I look forward to seeing the president. The team reached out to coordinate all the meetings that are possible in a short period of time. And we’re going to continue to want to sit down with the president [to] have a conversation over this.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adams has said his goal is to secure more assistance from the federal government, including covering the massive cost facing New York City to house and care for migrants. This marks the 10th time the Democratic mayor has traveled to Washington to address the challenges New York faces related to the migrants, he told reporters this week.

"The goal is to constantly go there, be front and center and raise the concerns of how this is impacting our city. And that’s the goal," Adams said on Tuesday.

Adams has said he believes the federal government should cover the cost of addressing the migrant situation over the next three years, adding that it shouldn't fall on New York City taxpayers. The mayor has said it will cost about $12 billion over the next three years, according to an estimate by New York City Office of Management and Budget Director Jacques Jiha.

"This is a national problem that should not fall on the backs of local cities," Adams said on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Adams reiterated his disapproval of FEMA, echoing arguments he's made for months about the agency using funding to bus migrants to New York City. In an interview on MSNBC in May, the mayor said it's "not sustainable for us."

"FEMA allocated out of the $350 million, only $30 million went to New York City. So we received the large sum of migrants in our city, but we’re not getting the funding to match," Adams said at the time. "The plan on our bordering states is simply to use the money from FEMA to bus migrants to New York City. That is just not a workable solution."

In August, he called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency to manage the “crisis” at the border. The next month, he said that since spring 2022, more than 113,000 asylum-seekers have sought shelter in New York.

Adams' visit comes as negotiations on Capitol Hill over legislation to address the influx of migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border have not led to an agreement. Republicans insist that it must be part of an emergency supplemental bill that would also provide aid to Israel and Ukraine.

Republicans blocked the Senate from opening debate on such a measure Wednesday over a lack of border security provisions including rules to tighten U.S. asylum and parole laws in immigration proceedings.