Adams says he did not leave DC with a sense of optimism
NYC Mayor Eric Adams tells constituents 'help is not on the way' for migrant crisis
NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who has spoken about the severity of the migrant crisis before, warned at a press conference on Friday that the White House will not be assisting the city in this moment of crisis.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared in a speech after visiting Washington, D.C., that he sees the "cold reality" his city will have to face the migrant crisis on its own for the time being.
The migrant crisis has plagued the mayor for more than a year and, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, Adams' approval rating sits at 28% among self-identified registered voters. The rating is the lowest Quinnipiac has ever recorded for a New York City mayor since it began tracking the statistic in 1996.
On Thursday, Adams traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leaders and Biden officials to appeal for more federal aid for the sanctuary city’s migrant crisis. He broke the news that he left empty-handed at a press conference with religious leaders the next day.
Adams acknowledged New Yorkers are upset the migrant crisis has taken "resources that should go to the day-to-day services of running this city," but said, "We did not walk out from D.C. with any level of optimism that anything is going to drastically change."
NYC mayor Eric Adams speaks at an event with a group of religious leaders behind him.
"It is clear that for the time being, this crisis is going to be carried by the cities," he said at City Hall on Friday. "Here in New York City, as you know, we had a very painful November plan that we had to produce, and now we’re looking forward for the direction of how do we address a $7 billion budget deficit that we have to address in January."
New York City has seen more than 140,000 migrants come in since last year, which has left the city’s social services overwhelmed and forced deep budget cuts to policing, sanitation and education.
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"And these men and women behind me, who are service providers in some way or another — they see firsthand what these cuts are doing and will do. This is not the budget we want to pass. The budget we wanted to pass clearly invested in children and families and those who are in need," he said. "We are at an untenable situation right now, and it is painful for us. It's painful for the city. And I think that you see it being reflected in the polls. It is because our federal government's actions have taken a toll on the people of this city."
New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the migrant crisis during a Town Hall meeting on the Upper West Side Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (NYC Mayor's Office)
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"We’re going to continue to do our job in this administration, but these are extremely challenging times, and as I left Washington, D.C., I did not leave with optimism. I left with the cold reality that help is not on the way in the immediate future," he warned. "It is going to be — at this moment, it is going to be up to New Yorkers and this administration to continue to navigate this challenge that we’re facing."
The White House and a number of Democratic congressional leaders did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
