Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared Monday that the National Guard will be called in to help with the current migrant crisis.
Hochul announced the deployment of an additional 150 National Guard personnel to confront the migrant problem and assist with case management to obtain work permits for asylum seekers, notably Venezuelans who now qualify for temporary protected status.
The additional 150 National Guardsmen raise the overall number of Guardsmen supporting the mission to 2,200. The governor stated that 250 National Guard troops will be dedicated completely to case management in order to assist Venezuelans who arrived before July 31 in applying for Temporary Protected Status – and then job authorization.
“Now that we have the opportunity granted by President Joe Biden to help the Venezuelans who came before July 31st be able to apply for temporary protective status and what follow that literally with the same application, is the work authorization — that coveted work authorization. That’s their ticket to the American Dream,” she said.
“You’ll be helping them get a job, helping them support themselves, helping them leave these shelters because I believe they did not come all these thousands of miles to live in a shelter with hundreds, if not thousands of others,” Hochul stated. “So the National Guard has already been working to survey them. We have different categories. Some people are eligible to work right now if they already came in through the Customs and Border Protection app. There are people qualified for that. There are parolees eligible to work. There are the asylum seekers who need to apply for asylum and wait 180 days. And now we have this new category that allow the expedited work permits for Venezuelans who arrived here earlier.”
Some of the migrants who have landed in New York City, according to the governor, “may be here and just want a bus ticket to another state, but they don’t know where to go.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL“We can make that happen,” she stated confidently. “But you have to have those conversations.”
Hochul stated that she had set aside more than $50 million to fund case management throughout the state.
This comes as officials in New York City report that over 116,000 migrants have arrived from the southern border since last year.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has stated that if greater federal assistance is not provided, the migrant problem will “destroy” the Big Apple.
The problem has strained Adams’ relationship with President Biden in recent months.
During the president’s recent visit to New York City to address the United Nations General Assembly last week, Biden did not meet with Adams.
Instead, after meeting with Hochul, the Biden administration announced that Homeland Security would approve work authorization and deportation delays for around 470,000 Venezuelans currently in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the temporary protected status granted to Venezuelans for 18 months would not apply to anyone who arrived in the United States after July 31, 2023.
On Monday, Hochul said, “After an intensive lobbying effort with the White House and the collaboration that resulted with President Biden being engaged and helping us with that decision on the asylum seekers just a few days ago, that is a path. It is a very strong opportunity for us to start helping some of these people.”
Recognizing the “overwhelming” issue, Hochul stated, “I give all the credit the world to the city of New York and Mayor Adams for what they’ve had to deal with.”
“And the numbers continue to grow, and we’re there to be their partners. But to those who question even why this is happening, this is New York,” she remarked. “You need to remember this is New York. We celebrate our diversity. We celebrate who we are. We will not be this state if we were not open to immigrants around the world.”
Hochul explained that the state is currently covering 40-45% of the cost of hosting migrants, including the whole expense for the migrant center at Floyd Bennett Field. Does that mean the rest of the country is footing the majority of the bill?
