New York emergency order seeks to deal with influx of migrants

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has issued an emergency order aimed at helping New York City and the state deal with an expected influx of asylum-seekers with a federal border policy set to expire this week.

The order issued on Tuesday gives the state "greater flexibility" to divert resources to cities and towns to support asylum seekers, and authorizes the state to deploy more National Guard members to provide "logistical and operational support."

Hochul said with the end of the Title 42 COVID-19 restrictions on asylum, which has allowed the U.S. to expel migrants at the southern border quickly, New York expects a surge of migrants. The influx is expected to impact New York City, which already provides services for tens of thousands of asylum seekers.

"With Title 42 set to expire, the circumstances on the ground are expected to change significantly and this executive order will be an important part of our coordinated response," Hochul said in a statement.

Under the order, the state will mobilize an additional 500 National Guard members, currently providing logistical and operational support at the Port Authority and shelter sites. The move will bring the number of National Guard members deployed to about 1,500, Hochul said.

The order also authorizes the state and municipal governments to quickly purchase necessary supplies and resources, including food and equipment.

Lawmakers allocated more than $1 billion to help New York City support asylum seekers in the fiscal year 2024 budget, signed last week. Hochul said the order will allow the state and local governments to "quickly mobilize these resources to address large numbers of asylum seekers expected to arrive after Title 42 expires."

Over 50,000 migrants have traveled to New York City in the past year, which Mayor Eric Adams says impacts the city's ability to provide essential services. The city has set up temporary "humanitarian" relief centers, including one at a Brooklyn cruise ship terminal, housing more than 30,000 asylum seekers.

Adams has estimated the city will spend more than $4 billion to provide housing, health care, and other assistance for migrants over the next two fiscal years. The city is expected to get about $1.8 billion from the state and federal government to help deal with the migrant crisis.

Nationwide, more than 3.3 million people have been apprehended or reported evading law enforcement illegally entering the U.S. from over 150 countries in fiscal 2022, according to data obtained by The Center Square. Few, roughly one out of seven, have been expelled under Title 42, the data shows.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands more migrants have been allowed to seek asylum and other protections, according to immigration officials.

Hochul's emergency order comes as President Joe Biden visits New York on Wednesday to criticize Republicans' spending cut plans amid gridlock in negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.

The Biden administration has been criticized by New York Republicans — including Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY, whose Hudson Valley congressional district is on Biden's visit — for not doing enough to stem a surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of the end of the federal policy.