New York Mayor Eric Adams’s agreement, announced on March 15, to limit the time that illegal immigrants can stay in shelters at taxpayers’ expense is smoke and mirrors. It’s designed to fool you into thinking he’s solving a problem when he’s actually caving to the illegal immigrant industrial complex.
Mr. Adams claims that the agreement, with The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, will allow the city to evict adult illegal immigrants from city-run shelters after 30 days, saving taxpayers money and limiting the need for more shelters. Not true.
The fine print says illegal immigrants have a shot at staying longer if they obtain driver’s licenses, follow shelter rules, and show good behavior, or—get this one—apply for public benefits. And this is a “non-exhaustive” list of reasons making illegal immigrants eligible to stay longer.
The agreement also applies only to single adults. A staggering 78 percent come with children and get priority placement in hotels. The city currently spends a whopping $387 per night for food and a roof alone for each family and shells out more money for free medical care, education, and legal services. This agreement does zero to alleviate those staggering costs.
The deal dooms New York City to fiscal disaster because it will continue to be the No. 1 destination for illegal immigrants seeking a free roof over their heads. The Big Apple is now Migrant Central.
Worst of all, nothing in the agreement empowers the mayor to evict troublemakers who have repeat run-ins with police. The illegal immigrants who beat up cops in Times Square were living in shelters, courtesy of taxpayers, and already had long rap sheets.
When troublemakers are arrested and give a shelter address, the shelter should be contacted and told that these illegal immigrants no longer qualify. Why should taxpayers be footing the bill to house criminals?
Notorious gangs such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13 recruit from the shelters. How convenient that taxpayers pay to house these gangs’ lackeys.
In October 2023, Mr. Adams imposed a 30-day limit on adult illegal immigrants but wound up in court when The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless challenged it. A long negotiation ensued, ending with the March 15 agreement.
Since 1981, Legal Aid and the Coalition have fought successfully to impose a “right to shelter” policy on New York. Now, these two self-appointed guardians of the downtrodden—not elected by anyone—insist that the “right” applies not just to New Yorkers but to anyone from anywhere in the world who wants shelter here. That’s crazy.
After months of negotiating, Mr. Adams capitulated. No one at the table was looking out for taxpayers or New Yorkers who see their services being cut and their neighborhoods disrupted by the proliferation of shelters. The multibillion-dollar shelter industry came out a winner, but Joe Public got shafted.
As the agreement was announced, Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom praised the “right to shelter” policy and The Legal Aid Society for the work it does. They’re all in bed together.
Josh Goldfein, a Legal Aid attorney, explained that despite the settlement, “no migrant would be left out on the streets.” In fact, the agreement bans the city from even making illegal immigrants sleep overnight in chairs while waiting to be placed, imposing stricter shelter requirements than before.
A “right to shelter” for anyone who shows up on Mr. Gotham’s doorsteps means New Yorkers who want sanitation services, police and fire protection, and other city amenities go to the back of the line. Their services get cut to pay for sheltering illegal immigrants. Mr. Adams needs to battle aggressively, up through the highest courts, to get that “right” reexamined.
Only New York has a “right to shelter” policy and it makes the city the top destination for illegal immigrants. New York City spends more than 10 times as much as Los Angeles per illegal immigrant and more than five times as much as Chicago.
To top it off, the agreement and the Adams administration are renaming illegal immigrants as “new arrivals,” whitewashing the illegality of their presence here.
Expect hundreds of thousands more to see these welcome signs and come here. Who wouldn’t come?
On March 17, Mr. Adams praised the city’s “responsible policies” and blamed “Republican extremists” for the border crisis. Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but the crisis here in New York City is due to the lavish benefits local Democrats insist on offering “new arrivals.” There’s no whitewashing that.
