Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday called on Congress to “limit” who crosses the border, saying it’s “too open right now.”
Ironically repeating what congressional Republicans have long demanded from the Biden administration, Hochul made the plea during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
CBS host Margaret Brennan noted there were no border provisions in the federal spending deal struck by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this weekend to avoid a government shutdown, asking Hochul what she would want Congress to get done in the next 45 days.
“Well, shame on Speaker McCarthy and the Republicans in Congress, including the nine from New York State, who are complaining like crazy about the migrants but refuse to work with President Biden and come up with a sensible border strategy. It can be done. This can be done in a bipartisan way. Comprehensive immigration reform,” Hochul began before Brennan interjected by asking what she was specifically wanting from Congress to address the migrant crisis in her state.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul demands “comprehensive immigration reform.” (Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images / File)
“Well, we want them to have a limit on who can come across the border. It is too open right now,” Hochul said. “People coming from all over the world are finding their way through simply saying they need asylum. And the majority of them seem to be ending up in the streets of New York. And that is a real problem for New York City, 125,000 newly arrived individuals. And we are being taxed.”
“We are always so proud of the fact that New York has the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. We are one of the most diverse places on Earth because of our welcoming nature, and it’s in our DNA to welcome immigrants. But there has to be some limits in place. And Congress has to put more controls at the border and not in this budget threat, shutdown threat, talk about eliminating positions for Border Patrol when we actually need to double or quadruple those numbers. So, get back to work and do your jobs,” the governor added.
A migrant shows his documents to Army servicemen at the entrance to the Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families, in New York City on Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Several critics online unleashed on Hochul for apparently changing her tune since espousing New York as a sanctuary state and encouraging people to come in 2021.
More than 125,000 migrants have since arrived in New York City since last year, and Hochul recently secured a deal with the Biden administration to expedite work authorizations and delayed deportations for Venezuelans seeking asylum. Hochul activated an additional 150 National Guard members last week to address the migrant crisis and help with case management to get asylum seekers work permit. The move increased the total number of National Guard troops dedicated to the mission to 2,200.
Migrants line up in front of the Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families, in New York City, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Yet New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose relationship has soured with fellow Democrat Biden by repeatedly demanding more federal assistance on the migrant crisis over the past several months, has said the more new waves of arriving migrants are from African nations, China and even Russia, indicating a potential growing security risk compared to the initial influxes from Latin America. Adams is pushing a controversial “decompression strategy” to resettle migrants outside the city.
