Former President Bill Clinton has publicly agreed that New York City’s “Right to Shelter” law needs to be changed in light of the ongoing migrant crisis.
Speaking with John Catsimatidis on 77 WABC radio’s The Cats Roundtable show, the former Democrat president said that he agrees with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s call to amend the current law.
Hochul thinks it should be modified, and it probably should under the circumstances,” Clinton said.
Both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Kathy Hochul have said that the law only addresses local homelessness, not the wave of migrants that have descended on the city in recent months. Asylum seekers and homeless advocates have opposed changes to the law.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on August 24, 2022, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
“It’s broken. We need to fix it … It doesn’t make any sense,” Clinton said. “They come here, and we’re supposed to shelter people who can’t get work permits for six months. We need to change that. They ought to work. They need to begin working, paying taxes and paying their way. Most of these people have no interest in being on welfare.”
Clinton used the moment to swipe former far-left New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who he said refused his help in tackling the issue in the past.
“In the beginning, I tried to help Mayor de Blasio. But he decided that he was … more progressive than he thought I was — whatever that means,” Clinton said.
The former president even acknowledged that Democrats and President Joe Biden have suffered politically due to the ongoing border crisis.
“The [US immigration] system is built to handle about 400,000 … We should build more housing just over the Rio Grande, and Mexico, I think, would support that,” he said. “Keep people there, and let them in as quickly as possible if they are going some place where we know they can get a job and they’ll be welcome.”
Migrants wait outside the Roosevelt Hotel hoping for a place to stay on August 02, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress)
“Chaos has been very beneficial for the Republicans,” he added.
In various cities throughout the United States, the migrant crisis has reached emergency levels. In Massachusetts, Democrat Gov. Maura Healey even activated the National Guard to support the crisis.
“We’re grateful to the brave men and women of the National Guard for stepping up to help us ensure that every family in emergency shelter has their needs met,” Healey wrote.
Boston’s Logan Airport has also recently resorted to having families sleep on cots throughout the airport as they wait to enter the state’s housing system. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams even stressed that the migrant crisis will alter the city forever.
“Let me tell you something, New Yorkers: Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this. I don’t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City, destroy New York City. We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month,” Adams said recently.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
