WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul met White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and other senior Biden administration officials on Wednesday to discuss an influx of migrants in New York City that has strained its resources.
During the meeting, the Biden administration agreed to work with both New York State and New York City to close “the gap between non-citizens who are eligible for work authorization and those who have applied,” the White House said in a statement.
The administration also committed to “starting a first-of-its-kind national campaign” with information on how to apply for employment authorization.
New York City has declared a state of emergency in response to tens of thousands of migrants who have come to the city, some bused in from states along the U.S. southern border in a political dispute over border security.
In July, the state said it had provided services to 90,000 migrants since last spring and that nearly 55,000 remained in its care.
Thousands of those migrants arrived on buses sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who has tried to shift the burden of receiving them to Democratic strongholds.
Other steps discussed during the meeting include assistance from federal agencies to support the health, education, and housing of recent arrivals.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; editing by Robert Birsel)
