NYC Mayor Adams orders up propaganda blitz to combat criticism of migrant crisis
While most city leaders are ringing alarm bells over the migrant crisis, Mayor Eric Adams is tooting his own horn.
Hizzoner this week ordered up a major propaganda campaign seeking to tout his handling of the humanitarian crisis, by making nearly two dozen city agencies run a one-minute clip praising the work his administration has done.
The video — which Adams warned had better be online by 11 a.m. Tuesday or he would be noting failures — included city employees casting a rosy glow over his efforts to deal with more than 100,000 migrants flowing into the city since early 2022, according to an email reviewed by The Post.
“Probably one of the most diverse workplaces I’ve ever worked in, and you can kind of feel the difference of everyone is here just to help these families,” Asylum Application Help Center executive director Masha Gindler says in the video.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a job like this again,” Gindler added after a photo of her and Adams making a heart with their hands flashed on screen.
City Hall’s instructions for the agencies also included sample text for staffers to post on social media accounts typically reserved for communication about public service matters, like alternate side of the street parking rules or seeking information about suspects in criminal cases.
“Immigration is the New York City story, It is the American story. It is a story of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” read one proposed message. “And today it’s a story not just of those seeking asylum, but the brave New Yorkers ready to help.”
The city-funded content, first reported by Gothamist, is the latest attempt by Adams to control the narrative around his administration, which has seen Hizzoner launch an email newsletter and a podcast in an attempt to do an end-run around aggressive City Hall reporters.
More than 20 different agencies, including the Department for the Aging, the Department of Finance, and the city’s Housing Authority, appeared to have posted the video on social media with the same sample language Tuesday morning.
“New York City remains a beacon for all who come to our shores. And we will continue to uphold these values and reach out a helping hand to those in need,” the posts read. “This is the New York City way — and these are the New Yorkers leading the way.”
Adams’ continued focus on optics comes amid a summer of tough headlines for his administration and as he finds himself increasingly at odds with Gov. Kathy Hochul over how best to respond to the migrant crisis.
Last week, an attorney for the state wrote in a scathing court filing that the mayor slow-rolled his response to the crisis. The filing was part of an attempt by the Adams administration to overturn the decades-old right-to-shelter mandate. Both sides are in court on Wednesday.
City Hall fired back in its own missive Wednesday, demanding that Hochul pony up potentially $6.5 billion more to help pay for the crisis and declare a state of emergency to force suburban communities and upstate towns to accept migrant shelters.
A recent Siena College poll that found 82% of New Yorkers believe the influx of migrants has become a “serious problem.”
Additional headaches have piled on in recent weeks: Adams saw a half-dozen supporters hit with indictments from the Manhattan District Attorney over an alleged straw-donor scheme that benefited his 2021 mayoral campaign.
He was forced to deny reports that he tipped off his disgraced ex-Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich about an investigation that ultimately forced him to resign his post.
And his police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, quit after months of frustration over City Hall micromanagement culminated in a showdown over punishing a longtime ally of Adams at the department who was caught on tape canceling out a friend’s arrest.
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, defended the campaign, saying the city has used a “whole-of-government response” since the start of the crisis.
“As we’ve said repeatedly, this is an all-hands-on-deck crisis that will impact every city agency,” added Mamelak.
