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New York, Biden admin spar over state work permits for migrants

  • New York city, state has seen influx of migrants from the southern border
  • Gov. Hochul is looking at ways to speed up work permits for asylum seekers
  • Biden admin officials said work permits are a federal authority, though
Migrants sit in a queue outside of The Roosevelt Hotel that is being used by the city as temporary housing, Monday, July 31, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Migrants sit in a queue outside of The Roosevelt Hotel that is being used by the city as temporary housing, Monday, July 31, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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(NewsNation) — As New York considers ways to speed up getting work permits to migrants, the White House has vowed to help those eligible find work, according to media reports.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says “all options” are on the table when it comes to hastening work authorizations for asylum seekers — even if it means circumventing the long wait for permits at a federal level, The New York Times wrote.

The governor herself admitted it would be an “unprecedented” move at a news conference, according to The New York Times.

“I believe the federal government believes that we need to have their authority to move forward with state work permits, but, as I’ve said, we have to let them work,” Hochul said at a news conference.

Although New York state lawmakers have introduced bills to create state-level worker permit programs for those who have already filed federal asylum paperwork, Hochul has not yet endorsed any particular piece of legislation, the NYT says. She and her lawyers are still looking at multiple options, Hochul said.

At a Tuesday morning conference call, though, Biden administration officials said work permits are a federal authority and that it would not encourage states to try working around this system.

Federal officials did pledge, though, during the call to focus on the “critical mass” of migrants able to obtain work permits, as too few have applied, Politico wrote.

“President Biden, Vice President Harris and all of us share the frustration that elected officials, business leaders and New Yorkers all have about the process,” a senior administration official said at the call reported on by Politico. “We want to get people who are eligible to work to work as soon as possible.”

Biden administration officials, Politico wrote, said they are deploying 50 federal workers to NYC to help educate migrants on available services, and have also sent them emails and texts notifying them about these resources

New York officials have been saying for a while now that they’re alarmed by the influx of migrants who came into the city and state — and the White House isn’t doing enough to support them. NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 reports 113,000 migrants have come through the New York Intake Center since last spring. Last week alone, 3,200 asylum seekers arrived in New York City.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams even went so far as to say the migrant situation will “destroy” the city, although these comments were swiftly criticized by various lawmakers and organizations. Earlier this week, Adams directed city agencies to trim overtime costs and implemented a 5% spending cut to pay for resources for migrants.

Under the city’s right-to-shelter law, temporary housing must be provided for every homeless person who requests it.

Immigration

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