New York City mayor heads to Latin America with message for asylum seekers: 'We are at capacity' [View all]

Source: Associated Press

New York City mayor heads to Latin America with message for asylum seekers: ‘We are at capacity’

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Updated 9:16 PM EDT, October 3, 2023

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday said he will travel to Latin America to discourage people from seeking asylum in the city as it struggles to handle a massive influx of migrants that have overwhelmed its shelter system and strained financial resources.

The Democratic mayor is set to visit Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia during a four-day trip this week. The city has absorbed almost 120,000 migrants over the past year, with hundreds still arriving daily in need of housing and employment.

“We want to give an honest assessment of what we are experiencing here in this city,” said Adams. “We are at capacity.”

“We’re going to tell them that coming to New York doesn’t mean you’re going to stay in a five-star hotel. It doesn’t mean that, the mere fact that you come here, you automatically are going to be allowed to work,” he said.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-migrants-immigration-asylum-5ce6d8b4548444f898ddf808b3dbd288