New York City Comptroller Brad Lander returned to the city following a meeting in Washington, D.C., and acknowledged significant challenges ahead despite productive discussions with White House officials.
The primary focus of the meeting was to seek federal aid to support the approximately 66,000 illegal asylum-seeking migrants currently overburdening the city’s shelter system.
While in Washington, D.C., Lander engaged with Labor Department and Homeland Security staff, as well as Tom Perez, the senior adviser to President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, November 28th, Lander wrote on X, “Headed to the nation’s capital today to help launch a network of investors who support workers’ rights—and to advocate for the resources and coordination we need to help new arrivals become the next generation of New Yorkers.”
Mayor Eric Adams, often facing harsh criticism from the Lander and having consistently urged him to become more engaged, offered a veiled critique regarding the comptroller’s trip.
“I’m happy he’s going, it took him a little while,” Adams remarked.
While expressing optimism about his discussions with Biden administration officials, Lander stated there was a critical gap in the collaboration between the city and federal government, impeding the effective integration of new migrants into the community and their exit from NYC’s shelter system.
“I think there are some big gaps to fill, like workforce development, support in case management,…I have thought it was a need for months, but it’s even clearer to me now that we’ve got to find a way to do that,” he commented.
Comptroller Lander highlighted a glaring gap in the system: the absence of a mechanism to assist work-authorized migrants in finding employment.
He pointed out that, unlike other refugee resettlement processes, no organization currently offers case management or workforce development in New York City.
Lander stated that the primary objective is to initially handle the estimated 15,000 eligible asylum seekers for temporary protective status by the end of January, ensuring their swift entry into the workforce.
However, he emphasized the need for additional federal resources to make this plan viable.
“Immigrants make New York City. But to help them land on their feet, we’ve got to have more resources and coordination from the White House, from DHS — just like we provide refugee resettlement for folks from Afghanistan and Ukraine,” Lander remarked in D.C.
The migrant crisis has put a strain on the city’s budget, with New York facing an estimated $12 billion expense to cater to the needs of these asylum seekers.
Despite a federal promise of $142 million, this amount falls far short of the required funding, which prompted Mayor Adams to implement controversial budget cuts across city agencies.
In his discussions in Washington, Lander urged Perez to explore alternative funding sources to alleviate the financial burden on the city.
He also expressed concerns about the challenges in securing additional congressional funding, citing opposition from “red state members of Congress” who are less sympathetic to New York City’s plight.
