Adams defends handling of NYC migrant crisis as hands-on mayor
Mayor Eric Adams defended his handling of the migrants in New York City on Tuesday — saying he’s been a hands-on manager of the crisis as he faces criticism from the governor’s office.
“I’m on the ground, I’m not detached from this,” Hizzoner said in a pre-taped interview on “CBS This Morning” when asked about reports of frozen food being provided to migrants.
“When we hear about one of our service providers not meeting our standards, we immediately get in,” Adams said, adding, “I walk through surprise visits to see the quality of service.”
“Once a week, I’m looking at one of the locations to make sure we’re reaching the standard.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office slammed the Big Apple’s mayor last week, writing in a scathing court filing that he’s been slow to address the crisis and that he even turned down several proposed spots for state-run migrant shelters.
But Adams, who filmed the sit-down before his three-day trip to Israel, shot back, telling CBS the sites were not suitable for housing.
“When we looked at the analysis about the 12 spaces they gave us, some of them were in floodplain areas, some of them were not suitable to build,” he said.
Rhetoric has intensified between the city and the governor’s office as NYC appeals the decades-old right-to-shelter mandate amid the crisis.
The housing issue appeared to hit a breaking point earlier in August when migrants were forced to sleep outside the historic Roosevelt Hotel-turned-shelter when beds ran out.
Speaking to reporters from Israel on Tuesday afternoon, the mayor called on Washington to step in and provide migrants the ability to work — a step he argues would ease the burden on municipal services.
“I’m hoping the White House does see the importance of allowing people the right to work,” Adams said, citing Israel’s handling of an influx of Ethiopian refugees as a success story.
“Now I’m seeing the results of their ability to work to incorporate themselves into society,” he said of the assimilation of the refugees in Israel.
