Are Arizona and Texas Sending Asylum Seekers To New York? Mayor Adams Thinks So

Others cite a lack of affordable housing, rising rents, and income discrimination as a source of New York's homelessness crisis

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill, June 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill, June 8, 2022, in Washington, DC.
Photo: Andrew Harnik-Pool (Getty Images)

As New York City is currently experiencing a surge in homelessness, New York City mayor Eric Adams claims asylum seekers are being bused to New York, Politico reports. The Root has previously reported on the ongoing struggle concerning New York’s homeless population. Adams launched an initiative to eliminate encampments while pledging more money for homeless services like drop-in centers and outreach programs.

Mayor Adams has called for the Biden administration to assist, without which, he said, the city “may struggle to provide the proper level of support our clients deserve.”

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Let’s consider a couple of economic factors for a second. N.Y rents are at an all-time high averaging upwards of $5,000 a month. Inflation is also at its highest point in 40 years. It has also been reported that landlords may be keeping affordable housing off the market to avoid renter protections established by New York’s Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

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The Department of Homeless Services says that 48,188 people were sleeping in shelters recently despite these factors. According to city figures, this is up from about 45,000 three months ago. Mayor Adams claims 2,800 people have come in over the past six weeks and are being sent on buses by Texas and Arizona state governments.

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From Politico:

“In order to both meet the legal mandate as a right-to-shelter city and provide high-quality shelter and services for those who enter our system, New York City needs additional federal resources immediately,” Adams said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Texas has been busing migrants to Washington D.C. by charter buses, with Gov. Greg Abbott asking for private money. However, Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze says the claims by Adams are false.

“If these Democrat mayors are now that concerned about having migrants in their cities, they should call on President Biden to do his job and secure the border, instead of attacking Texas with baseless political accusations,” she said in a statement.

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Legal Aid attorney Joshua Goldfein puts the spotlight right back on Mayor Adams. Goldfein cites factors such as “shortage of housing, reduced funding for city enforcement to prevent the source of income discrimination, a lack of lawyers to represent people in housing court” as to why homelessness remains an issue.

“There are all these other reasons why the census is increasing, and it doesn’t seem right to say that this group is the one that is most responsible for the increase unless they’re going to show us the data,” said Goldfein.