New York City Mayor Eric Adams is backing out of his promise to put up illegal migrants in Gracie Mansion, citing ‘legal issues.’
Back in January, Adams claimed he was ‘leading from the front’ by offering up the official mayoral residence to house some of the thousands of undocumented migrants flooding into his city each month.
‘I don’t have a problem if I can put a migrant family in Gracie Mansion because I want to lead from the front.
‘That’s the type of leader I am,’ he said.
But now, he claims red tape is thwarting the mayor from moving forward with his leadership.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams said Thursday that his plan to house illegal migrants in his residence had been thwarted by the city’s legal department
Adams said back in January that he would try to house a few migrant families in Gracie Mansion – the Upper East Side residence of the NYC mayor
On Thursday, at City Hall, Adams told reporters that perhaps it was his offer to house the migrants that really mattered the most in the end.
‘I think leading the challenge of the migrant problem is both substantive and symbolic and as I always said, ‘Good generals lead from the front,’’ he said.
‘They don’t send their troops into battle and ask, ‘How was the war?’ They lead them into battle. The symbolism of saying, ‘I’m willing to put a homeless family in Gracie’ is that symbolism,’ he continued.
According to the New York Post, Adams complained that ‘legal issues’ were thwarting his attempt to house the migrants and that the city Law Department hasn’t been able to overcome them.
He did not elaborate on the precise issues that have placed a hard pause on his effort to place migrants in the Upper East Side mansion in the park.
‘We are never going to break the law. And so, we’d be able to know what we can’t do and what we can’t do as a symbolism of saying, ‘I’m willing to open up the people’s house to the people of the city,” he said.
His initial offer was part of his attempt to find ‘cheaper’ housing options for some of the 76,000 migrants who have arrived in New York City from the southern border in the last year.
He said that he is keeping all options ‘on the table’ for potential space to house the migrants.
Earlier this year, Adams said it was becoming too expensive to continue renting out NYC hotels to house the migrants.
City Hall has contracted nearly 170 ’emergency’ shelters, including hotels and large Emergency Response and Relief Centers, but the ever-ballooning number of migrants continues to present a challenge.
76,000 migrants have arrived in NYC from the border in the last year, and the city has run out of places to put them
A new City Hall program has been busing them upstate to much smaller communities that fear they will not be able to absurd such a large and sudden population increase
Adams said he was trying to lead ‘from the front’ when he offered up his home to some of the migrants flooding into the city
In May, the city started up a new busing operation, which asks migrants to volunteer to head to upstate hotels.
The Adams administration says the city will fork over the cash for the expenses through August, but upstate leaders are pushing back, saying that once city cash runs out, their local social service programs won’t be able to absorb such a large and sudden population increase.
According to City Hall’s calculation’s, the busing effort costs less than paying for for shelters, food and other services in the five boroughs, despite several lawsuits that have already been brought by upstate counties.
Governor Kathy Hochul has said there is currently space for some of the thousands of migrants at upstate SUNY campuses, though Adams has not yet asked her to make those spaces available.
It is unclear what Hochul’s plan for the migrants would be once students of those universities return to campus in late August.
