Dem-Led Cities Melting Down Over Migrants As Border Encounters Surge To Record High

Dem-Led Cities Melting Down Over Migrants As Border Encounters Surge To Record High

Laurel Duggan on October 25, 2022

As migrant encounters at the southern border hit an all-time high, Democrat-led city governments around the country saw turmoil and dysfunction in their response to thousands of incoming migrants.

Migrant encounters in fiscal year 2022 were up more than 41% over 2021, and as border states and towns have been overwhelmed, some have shipped thousands of migrants to major cities far away from the border. Illinois, Washington, D.C. and New York City declared states of emergency over Latin American migrants arriving in their cities in recent months, tensions erupted in New York City’s government over their handling of the crisis and several liberal enclaves began preparing for an influx of migrants out of fear they may be the next destination for migrants being bussed out of Texas.

New York City is struggling to house and process about 21,000 Latin American migrants who have arrived this year, according to Politico, while Eagle Pass, Texas, a small border town, has seen at least 450,000 illegal crossings this year. Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams haven’t spoken in four weeks amid a spat between their offices over the handling of the 21,000 migrant arrivals since spring, according to Politico.

The speaker has complained about a lack of resources to address housing and other issues for the migrants, and the mayor accused the City Council of complaining without offering solutions. Mayor Adams also announced plans to create an intake facility for migrants minutes before Speaker Adams addressed reporters at a separate press conference; she apparently had not been informed of the plans and was unprepared to answer questions, according to Politico.

“As we try to find hotels, I cannot tell you how many Council people, local electives, that are yelling, ‘House people’ but saying, ‘Not in my district,” the mayor said when he declared a state of emergency over the crisis, according to Politico. “The loudest have been the least benevolent … You can’t have it both ways. Either we’re in this together, or we’re not.”

Chicago has struggled to support about 2,500 migrants and is housing them in temporary shelters and hotels, and plans to house hundreds of migrants in the Woodlawn neighborhood have sparked concern among locals. Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently asked city council members to identify empty stores and warehouses in which she could house 500 – 1,000 people.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, Denver and Philadelphia began making preparations for a possible migrant influx in October after Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent about 40 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

Washington, D.C. has received about 8,000 migrants this year who were bussed from Texas by Abbott, and the sanctuary city has similarly struggled to support these migrants. District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine is investigating the governors of border states for sending migrants to Washington and could potentially bring misdemeanor criminal charges against them for allegedly misleading the migrants about the services they would have access to.

Mayor and Speaker Adams did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.