Hold on to Your Huddled Masses: New York City Doesn’t Want Any More Illegal Immigrants

I am certain that, at some point, New York City Mayor Eric Adams must have been given the nickel tour of the Big Apple. At the very least, he must be aware of the massive statue in New York Harbor with the inscription on the base that reads:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

New York City has enough tired, poor, and huddled masses, thank you very much. Adams has hung out the “No Vacancy” sign and wants a billion dollars from the federal government to handle the ones he has. The New York Post reports that Adams is unhappy with a plan by Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) to send illegal immigrants from his state to NYC. Adams told radio host Sid Rosenberg:

We received over 30,000 asylum seekers that are in need of not only shelter, but food, education for children, health care and some of the basic items that are needed. Now, we were notified yesterday that the governor of Colorado has now stated that they are going to be sending migrants to places like New York and Chicago. This is just unfair for local governments to have to take on this national obligation. We’ve done our job. There’s no more room at the inn. This has really impacted on the quality of life in New York, and our ability to provide everyday long-term New Yorkers on the needs that they have during this difficult time. So this must be addressed.

The Post notes that Adams’ press secretary has said that there are approximately 35,700 illegal immigrants in New York City, with over 24,000 of those being housed in emergency shelters and Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers.

Polis told Politico that he was merely helping the immigrants get to their final destinations, including New York City. He said that his state has been doing that for weeks. However, the rash of severe weather, which also affected Colorado, resulted in a backlog of people who were scheduled to leave. Colorado is just getting caught up. According to the report in Politico, over 3,500 immigrants came to Denver during November, with 1,800 of them needing emergency shelter each evening. That prompted an emergency declaration and a fundraising effort to handle the situation. Polis stated that the state has allocated $5 million for assistance. Polis said that a fraction of that money has been used to buy bus tickets and that 70% of illegal immigrants that arrive in Colorado are interested in relocating.

Of course, the obvious point of contention is that we have Democrat-led cities and states that either don’t want any more illegal immigrants or are sending them away — something for which Republican governors have been excoriated. But Adams’ complaints are particularly tone-deaf. Not just because he does not want his own city impacted, never mind the situations in El Paso or other border towns, but also because he is demanding federal money to help solve the problems created by a policy Leftists support. So far, there have been no cries from the Left for the administration to secure the border. It’s clear that Democrats want illegal immigrants, just not in their backyards.