During an interview with Eyewitness News ABC7NY on Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) stated that he will draw the line to protect illegal immigrants who haven’t broken additional laws and stated that “We need them here.” And “the economy depends on them. During COVID, you saw many of these individuals providing jobs while other New Yorkers [were] able to shelter in place. That is part of who we are as a city.”
Eyewitness News ABC7NY Reporter N.J. Burkett asked, “For people who are concerned that you are not representing the best interests of New York, people who are concerned that, with respect to the migrant crisis in New York, that you’re not going to protect the guy who owns a bodega who might be here illegally and his daughter is now going to college in New York, he worked hard and now maybe it splits up a family, otherwise — in essence, sir, otherwise law-abiding New Yorkers, are you going to protect them?”
Adams responded, “We need them here. We need — the economy depends on them. During COVID, you saw many of these individuals providing jobs while other New Yorkers [were] able to shelter in place. That is part of who we are as a city. And so, look at the history, I had 228,000 migrants and asylum seekers that came to this city, we got work authorization, we were able to move people on, 180,000, to the next step of their journey. You must reach a point in life when people have to trust you, and I think that, at the end of the day, people are going to look back at this moment and see what this mayor has done.”
Burkett followed up, “And you’re willing to draw the line on that?”
Adams answered, “Without a doubt. We are here to protect New Yorkers who are following the law, doing the best that they can to provide for their families. We will never protect those who are committing violent acts against documented and undocumented New Yorkers.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
