In New York, the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants seeking asylum over the past year has become a crisis for the city’s shelter system, schools and budget.
As another critical election season begins to take shape, Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York State politics for The Times, explains why the situation has also become a political crisis for the state’s Democratic leaders.
Guest: Nicholas Fandos, a reporter covering New York State politics for The New York Times Metro desk.
Background reading:
- New York’s migrant crisis is growing. So are Democrats’ anxieties.
- A scathing letter revealed tension among New York Democrats over the city’s migrant crisis.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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the.
from new york times. I might go along this. Is it
did any in new york. The
I will of more than one hundred thousand migrants seeking asylum over the past year has become a crisis for the city
shelter, system, schools and budget. Now, according to my colleague, nick vandals, it's also become a little.
A crisis for the states, democratic leaders. It's Wednesday September six good afternoon, I was speaking to you today say aware what your state government is doing to address the unprecedented migrant crisis. Nick tell me about this speech from a governor of new york
so the governor of new york, Cathy hopeful, announced a couple weeks ago that we would be making a major address to the state,
you're, pretty unusual for her, I'm fully
that new yorkers our concern that over the past year, more than one hundred thousand asylum seekers have arrived in our state requiring an historic humanitarian response?
and she wanted to talk about the migrant crisis. That's been bill
over the last year here in new york and the new phase, the new york seem to be entering
two as little. We
Sins of asylum seekers come into the state every week, but now many of you are starting to see open space turn into enormous temporary shelters, buses arriving at hotels and several upstate counties, and what was particularly notable about the speech was not the way she was diagnosing. The problem, that's exactly where she was putting the blame. This crisis originated with the federal government and it must be resolved through the federal government. So, for the first time the governor of new york and she's, a Democrat, a proud democrat, came out and was putting the blame pretty squarely at the feet of the white house and president Biden saying we need your help.
not a step up here. That's why today I have sent a letter to president by informally, requesting immediate executive action and as if you hadn't been clear enough, the governor than put under pressure,
is actually naming president Biden pointing the finger at him explicitly. It is past time for president Biden to take action and provide new york
the aid needed to continue managing the ongoing crisis.
She's naming names in the name of naming is the democratic president united states, which means this isn't quite the normal,
events a democratic governor from a very democratic state, directly critiquing in public, her democratic president? Yet
totally right, Michael and it's even more striking, because the governor had been very careful to take a more conciliatory approach,
the washington and new york has been dealing with this crisis. She's been trying to talk to the white house regularly, which has been a pretty stark contrast to erica,
The mayor of new york and her counterpart is comes the big democratic leader in york. This is one of the largest humanitarian crisis that this city has ever experienced. Who, for months now, has just been
slogging at the white house. Instead of standing on the steps of city, we should be stated on the steps of the white house day after day
week after week, demanding more help and asking the national government. What are you doing to the city of new york and say
Basically, president Biden is leaving new york high and dry. The president in the white house has failed new york city on this issue. Now you also have the governor joining him and saying that, and in the last couple of weeks as I've been reporting across the state, I've seen that sentiment spreading like wildfire among democratic congressional candidates that I've talked to particularly those running in house seats in the suburbs surrounding new york city.
Remember just a year ago, republicans help win their house majority by sweeping through a series of suburban swing dust.
around new york city and elsewhere in the state Democrats had held for a long time now these these democratic candidates that are trying to win these seats back, who see a path back
the majority, but only through new york are concerned that this issue, the arrival of a hundred thousand sites
I'm seekers and counting here in new york city and all of the fall out from it is going to become another super potent
a clear issue that may once again cost them these key seats and with it control of the house of representatives nick I'm gonna talk about how it is. We ve reached a point where so many democratic lawmakers from, as you just said,
the mayor to the governor to now. Candidates and even members of congress have become so wild up and publicly angry with their democratic president over this question of these migrants. So where shall we say? So? I think we have to go back a couple of years and down to the southern border, Michael where many of these sounds
those are crossing into the united states. In the first place, the trump right out in the Biden white house were able to use covert your policies, most notably title forty two to basically shut down the border for a period of time, and is that expired over the last year or so there has been a significant build up in the number of people crossing the border and the four
The place is that build up is happening as more and more migrants are crossing the border into states like texas, the governor there, Greg abbott in the middle of last year began putting them
buses and giving them a one way ticket to cities up north, like new york in chicago and washington, places that tend to be?
or liberal, to try and provoke them, basically to poke at their liberal policies and say hey
Here's what we're dealing with down in texas! Why don't you see what it feels like
When there are your doorstep right, the idea
to essentially bring the southern border and the broken immigration system to these blue
in the north, effectively forcing them to do
with the same kind of issues the texas does, because of where it is yes and frankly, to make a political point right to show
it's easy to state your values when you're a thousand miles away- and this is not on your doorstep- let's see how it goes once these people arrive right. So over the course of the last.
Here as abed and then governor rhonda santas of florida are sending people. North new york really becomes the top destination, and the epicenter
of the migrant crisis in this new phase. Not only do you have these republican governors sending people, but new york is a really attractive magnet for people there, some unique factors I think that are worth positive
better for a second one, there's no city in the world that is probably more associated with immigrants in immigration right. A statue of liberty stand in the harbor.
Our reason and new york has a reputation, and so, as people are crossing over, the border is a natural destination and
because there are so many immigrants already here. Many people might have relatives or relations
and so when there ass, where do you wanna go? They send new york city? New york city is also the only city in the country which has this unique mandate known here as the right to.
Author. So going back to the nineteen eighties, this says that new york city has to pay basically to her.
anybody who doesn't have a bed tonight in new york city at the taxpayer, expense he'll be put up in a shelter or somewhere else, which means that migrants who come here to new york are going to get shelter, they're going to get legal assistance, they're going to get healthcare,
and their kids are gonna, be enrolled in public schools, so that
is that everybody that arriving on these buses are entitled to those benefits, but word also gets out very quickly and it makes new york city seem like a very attractive place to want to steer yourself, even if you're not being brought up on a bus from our public. An official in texas who wants to make a political point right in people come through all sorts of different routes and different means of transportation. So it starts as a political
and to steer migrants to new york city evolves into something quite different, now they're not coming here under the influence of a governor, but because they want to be in new york city.
destination place that they want to start a new life, and when that starts to happen, this influx really takes on a life of its own
For the weekend, the city reached a critical tipping point for their already jam pact. Shelters. Two thousand three thousand people a week, sometimes are coming in through the port authority and needs
waste to stay at night and by law. They have won in response to the growing number of mine
Thriving here, memorandums, noughts, new humanitarian emergency response and relief centres to centres will be opening in the coming weeks. In the city already,
as a large network of homeless shelters that operates, but those are becoming strain lap. He was sitting is south as any hotel rooms with no place to go. No work no way to get around the city
they start putting migrants in hotels. Last week, anger residents out on staten island, shouted at migrants arriving
we want, all the city has
at building these massive ten structures all around the city in parks and in public spaces and flight bennet field. It is a flood zones
quitting where people go to recreate and play soccer and walk their dogs, nay, were at capacity. So these migrants were left to sleep on the sidewalk. You can see the only thing separating them from the concrete is cardboard at one point: they pure at least
I'm so backlog, you started seeing hundreds of migrants sleeping on the sidewalk outside of one of the intake centres in midtown manhattan, which was a real kind
alarm bell moment that this is getting out of control. Who is going to really suffer if we continue in this way?
it's to be our services, sanitation, education, police department, fire department,
and so we have to stop it. Now all this costs. A lot of money, Michael new york city in york, state have already spent billions of dollars collector
we and our estimate this could cause ten to twelve billion dollars over the next couple of years. Now these are places with big tax bases and big budgets. But that's a big chunk of change like that level of spending is not sustainable and it's not part.
the budget as it was anticipated and was not anticipated, and it means
down the line and must have money comes magically from somewhere else. New york is gonna have to start looking at cutting certain services, cutting back on his budgets for things that long term new yorkers may count on just this week. For example, new york city is trying to help
Fifty eight thousand migrants, on top of its regular homeless population, which is the publication of a meaningful, sit
yeah a lot of time itself hundred and put get this twenty thousand children into the new york city, public school system to begin educating them, and all of this michael has been building towards what feels like, potentially a breaking point. The cost is ramping up and up and up in terms of people terms of budget in terms of actual space, I mean where
you put these numbers of people and in new york city or in the state, and it has begun to spill over into the political system. Inevitably, a crisis of government becomes a crisis of politics,
and all of this is increasingly alarming for democrats, who fear that this is an unpredictable issue that could be a very potent weapon used against them next year in all kinds of races across the state and especially in the race for control of congress, will be right back.
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open hi, I'm clare, tennis, gutter. I'm one of the many names you here in the list of credits on the daily every week.
A big part of my job. As a producer is talking to my colleagues to new york times, reporters
To get their expertise on the news,
But we also want to explore the human side of the news, and so another
part of my job is talking to people about how they are experiencing what's happening in the world that can mean walking to people on the street, making cold cause.
its many months, making sure we represent all sides of restoring whether it's about what shape
our political identity is or how recovery.
With crises we always
like there's something to learn from these conversations. We
Can you from listeners that these types of stories are what makes the daily special and we want it
He bringing them to you. We can't
that without subscriber support? If you haven't
I have to the new york times. You can do that at an why times, dot com, slash subscribed and thanks.
Nick what exactly do new york democrats. Fear is gonna happen because
of this migrant crisis. That's unfolding across the city, just unpack that
Scenario are they envisioning so too
I imagine it's a year from now we're on the eve of
election and this problem has not abated. There's been tens of thousands more money
to have arrived in new york city. Putting more
strain on all the different services we ve been talking about. The city's basically run out of space and a lot of places. The states trying to
But it's running out of money, and I think Democrats are very worried about the way that republicans
portray this in the way that voters are gonna. Think about what's going on here. Are they going to conclude that democrats policies to welcome
immigrants to say. We treat them differently here and we give them services. Is that gonna backfire and say will look? That's all nice. We like those values in a vacuum, but that means you're kind of pulling at him.
I pocket to take care of these people, and now republicans very much are already beginning to make this argument that this is the consequence of democrats, liberal policies on immigration and not only have they helped bring about the situation. Now, that is at their doorstep.
A competently handled throng, pointing fingers at one another. There's an appearance of chaos and nobody's in charge and look. This is the sum package of what democrats get you, so what democrats fear is that republicans will make the case and the next election a Democrat,
created this crisis, and now they have no idea how to fix it and you dear,
yorker. You are left to suffer, which is why you should refer above us exactly, and I think part of the reason
Democrats are so worried about. This is what happened in twenty twenty two, so remember, Michael. We sat here and talked then about the way that republicans were able,
who use fears about crime and rising crime in new york city to basically pointed democratic policies and say this is the reason this is happening.
and now these guys, cancun and under control right and
was a degree to which that claim was exaggerated, and yet it proved very hoddan in those twenty twenty two congressional elections right. It wiped out basically every democrat on the congressional map in districts that really should have been safe, democratic territory, but became a real blood bath for them right. So obviously, there are big substantive policy differences between these two issues of crime, and my
nation, but the political, dynamic and kind of interaction among the two parties and voters are very similar. You have a big situation in the centre of new york city, a kind of unfolding crisis
I am given day lends itself to some headline about disorder or conflict and its being piped out into the swing you're suburbs that surround new york city
where voters are watching and frankly thinking in this state, where democratic control
if everything for a long time, like maybe they're, just screwing it up again got it, give us some examples of the Democrats in these swingy or suburbs around new york becoming agitated about what's going on here, okay, so the first person I point you to is pat ryan. Who was the only Democrat who survived that republican wipeout over crime last year? He represents a seat
cause the lower hudson valley, north of new york city hour and a half two hours right. So earlier this year, when mayor Eric Adams proposed busing migrants out of the city into some communities in ryan's district, to help shoulder some of the beard,
and ryan was one of a number of officials who freaked out. He called on president Biden to declare a state of emergency, which is a pretty drastic step. He voted for a republican bill that would have basically barred schools from housing. Migrants in new york said we'll take away federal funds if you do and he's adopted very aggressive rhetoric towards not just the mayor, but also the president
states. So last week when I spoke to ryan, whose a former army officer, he told me that the one thing that I learned above all
My time in the army is that when you are in charge, you have to take charge. The president is in charge here and he's not taking charge so like mere Adams
governor whole goal, congress and ryan is turning his frustration over the situation under the brother
yeah, that's right and he's not alone in doing it. Canada's from
my island? Like lord go Monday jones is a former democratic.
Congressmen trying to make a come back and westchester county in the suburbs north of the city, other candidates and huts valley are all pointing their finger,
at present environment, saying, like you, gotta get in the game on this. This is a federal problem and we need a federal solution to it. But with that in mind, what space
typically do these new york Democrats want Joe Biden want the federal government to do here, given the nature
the problem and some of the unique factors you have outlined, like new york city, is right to shelter. That's a great question, so there are basically a handful of important request that they have the first one is for
money, we were talking earlier about how much new york, city and state or spending on this, and they feel this is a federalist you write, so the
no government oughta be reimbursing for national guard for the cost of sheltering basically to help shoulder some of the costs and another important thing that they want is for the white house to help people get to work faster. So the prime example of this is something called temporary protected status. It where the president can himself grant a group of people from a specific country, a special status to make it easier for them to get a work permit, and that's important in this case, because
When migrants can get jobs there, making money they're paying into the system, they become less reliant on shelters and health care and other public benefits like that got it. So the idea is that temporary status gets migrants on their own two feet.
in a way that means they're, not gonna need new york city resources as much, and I guess in theory it might discourage some of
migrants from ever coming to new york in the first place, because if they have the right to work, they might stop at many other states. On that journey north to new york and find a job yeah them may be the case, but I think it's worth just pause here see new york is in such a drastic circumstance renown such a fast moving
situation that I dont think new york's leaders are really thinking that far down the road there. Just thinking about how do we alleviate this situation right now
We move some of those. Fifty eight thousand people out of the shelters as quickly as we can that. So what has present Biden said about these two
asked for a lot more money to help solve his problem as well as temporary, protected status for a lot of these migrants? Well, the first thing to say- and this is one of the things that is really frustrating Democrats here-
then he hasn't said much at all. You know he's not given a major speech on this issue. It's not like we ve seen him come into new york for photo, opts to try and take control. You know in a way that we might expect an executive facing a big national problem like this to do, but the white house has done some small things around the edges so on the money
on the bite administration has help secure hundreds of millions of dollars to reimburse new york. Now, that's not as much as new york once it says it needs billions, but the white house has put his hands, are basically and said: look congress country,
If the purse strings, we can ask for more money, but I can't guarantee you are going to get it that and on the question of work permits, the response has been more complicated and the white house is actually pushed back a bit on new york. Wipe their concern, particularly with temporary protected status. Is that it's going to create an incentive for me
for people to come actually and will exacerbate the national immigration problem. So while it might help new york in the short term, it's going to make the united states a much more attractive place to come, I'm in bearing all the risks in mind of getting to the net
states if you are a member of a protected group- and you know when I get to the united states, I'm going to be able to have certain protections there, I'm going to be able to work into more attractive offer easily what president Biden is saying responses that what's good for new york, unfortunately, is not good for the rest of the country and is not good policy. That's right! So there's clearly a stalemate here, which I'm guessing is extremely frustrating, especially to these new york democrats trying to deal with this crisis, I'm curious.
If any of these democrats who are levelling, this criticism against Biden have had any reservations about criticising the leader of the
party in their conversations with you given
that he is running for real action and that the pool suggests is gonna, be
very tight erase. It doesn't seem like an opportune moment for candidates and members of congress in them.
party to be criticising the president yeah? I think that there is a really good question at something the Democrats or definite
was thinking about in this moment, where it kind of feels like it's every democrat for themselves. The risk here, I think, is that for these candidates,
point of president Biden, nor even a mare, Adams or governor hopeful to kind of get the blame off themselves to make it look like I'm taking seriously. This person is failing to provide leadership like that, may help them in the short term, but I think that there is a real risk of a cut. A boomerang effect come
back around and makes it look like to you know your average voter, whose maybe not that politically engage instead of solving this Democrats are just fighting with it
other the governors blaming the mayor whose blaming the president, whose blaming the congressman right ryan. That's not a great look for the party. That's in fact exactly what they're afraid republicans are going to succeed in reinforcing this idea, the demo
That's are more interested in bickering at each other and are not here to solve the problem right, for example, of Europe.
I didn't you may be very tempted to turn around and see
these members of congress, who are mad at him look. This is your job.
It's your job as member of congress to fix immigration yeah, and there are some truth that
Right I mean we ve been having a debate in this country for decades now about the need for comprehensive immigration reform, both power
These have some responsibility and not have impasse, and both parties agree that the systems broken as it is right now. There was a proposal about a decade ago that was by partisan, got close to passing and republicans tank to night. So if you're democrats
You could look at this whole situation and gone the attack and say actually it's republicans, who have stood in the way of comprehensive reform. The kind of thing that may have helped us prevent this
as is unfolding in new york right now, and so there actually, the ones that you should be blaming for this, and we do have some democratic candidates attacking republicans on this and say: look
you guys control the house. You are the ones in power washington. It's your responsibility to help fix this, but I think the thing is it just hard for that to break through, and you have the mayor and the governor,
democrats with bigger platforms than anybody else in your just pointing fingers at each other right. It strikes me nick that, for republicans, this entire episode has been a very successful political strategy, a cynical strategy and maybe was minds but a very effective one, because what started with a few busloads of migrants and to new york to embarrass the leaders of a blue state-
now triggered all this in fighting, like you just described among the Democrats, and it has given republicans, is very powerful weapon to use in these crucial house races and potentially, a road map for keeping control of congress
Yeah, that's no small deal and I add one more thing: it's made the mayor of the largest city in the country and when most important demo,
governors in the country into critics of the president
and though they may not agree with gregg, abbot or other republicans about what the policy failures are here or how to fix it there.
have validated the essential structure that president Biden is responsible for this and ought to be taking more drastic action. You not often see that in politics right,
the Democrats are saying to the whole world. Maybe they don't even mean to say this. The republicans are kind of right about Biden and immigration. That is certainly how republicans are going to present it
So what happens next
in the store, specifically, what happens to all these migrants, these one hundred thousand men, women and
and who are now in new york city. A lot of these people going through arduous conditions to get here in the first place,
they're gonna work really hard and figure out how to get jobs either legally or in the underground economy, and make money and move out of the shelter system, but as long as people continue to come
is new york- remains an attractive place. The numbers are just going to continue to grow and put a greater and greater strain on new york city and its capacity to care for these people,
and we ve talked a lot about the political and government implications of that, but the migrants themselves. It means that they're gonna be relying on an increasingly tax,
Adam. That's not gonna be able to provide for them in the way that it has, and if that system buckles
Going to leave a lot of very vulnerable people in a very bad situation. Aleck, hang you re much. Thank you, Michael. What right back support for this guy cast in the following message, come from emerson and emerson engineers, designers and think is help the world's most
industries solve the biggest challenges of modern life from developing technology that delivers breakthrough medicines that warp speed to software that turns clean energy into reliable electricity emerson. Innovation helps make the world healthier, safer, smarter and more sustainable. Go boldly, find your future at emerson, dot, com, slash careers.
Here's what else you need to know her name on tuesday, the most power.
four republican in the: u s: seller minority leader, mitch, Mcconnell, so
to reassure his colleagues that he is physically able to keep doing his job.
after a series of on camera medical episodes
those episodes Mcconnell has frozen up for a law.
stretches in the middle of news conferences, seemingly unable to speak
in a letter released on tuesday by Mcconnell. The doktor who treats members of congress said he found no signs that Mcconnell so
from either seizures or strokes? Two possibilities
that have been raised by outside experts. Mcconnell and his staff. Have
Stead attributed both instances to light headedness related talking,
and he suffered in march and to dehydration and enrico torreon. The former leader of the proud boys was sentenced to twenty two years
is in prison for the role he played in the january sixth attack on the: u s: capital it
the most severe penalties imposed on anyone charged
connection with the deadly assault, torreon was found
guilty of seditious conspiracy for inspiring and organizing members of his pro trump get too
through the capital and try to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power,
to these episode was produced by Carlos creator,
Mary Wilson, Michael Simon Johnson, and asked the charter baby, it was edited
rachel question and patricia will its content
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Transcript generated on 2023-09-07.