New York, Feb. 1 New York State Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled her proposed new $227 billion state budget Wednesday, which includes $1 billion to help the city with expenses it has incurred to provide services to the thousands of immigrants who have arrived since May 2022.
The money is part of a $21 billion 2024 budget he allocated to the city, which is in the throes of a humanitarian and economic crisis with the arrival of more than 43,000 immigrants, mostly sent by buses by Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, who is trying to transfer the immigration crisis on the US-Mexico border to New York and other Democratic states.
The flow of immigrants led Mayor Eric Adams to declare a state of emergency and demand urgent help from the state and, above all, the federal government, ensuring that migration is, after all, a national problem.
The billion dollars are the reimbursement of part of the expenses for providing accommodation to 28,200 immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, who are in the city shelters or in 81 emergency shelters, including the hotels that the Mayor’s Office has had to hire to deal with the crisis.
It also covers part of the money the city has invested in establishing the five Emergency Aid and Response Centers – where various services are offered to immigrants – as well as continuing assistance from the National Guard and funding health care needs. .
The claims of Adams, who warned that the cost of aid to immigrants could reach two billion dollars, had so far fallen on deaf ears, including in the White House, where he took his request for help in person.
“I am committed to doing everything in my power to make the state a more affordable, more livable and safer place for all New Yorkers,” said the Democrat during the presentation of the budget, which must be approved by the legislature, Democratic majority, a process in which it is subject to change and generates intense debate.
His proposal also includes the construction of 800,000 homes for the next decade “to address a historic shortage” with various initiatives to support efforts in this area; 24,000 million for education and 337 million for firearm violence prevention and reduction programs.
One billion is also mentioned for mental health care; funds to improve the efficiency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; to address the climate crisis or child care, among other commitments.
However, Hochul’s proposal was immediately criticized by various organizations such as the Immigrant Coalition, which considers that the funds to help immigrants are “insufficient”, or Housing Justice for All, which ensures that Hochul’s plan for this line ” prioritizes deregulation and the production of luxury homes.” EFE
rh/fjo/rrt