New York Governor Allocates $2.4 Billion to Address Migrant Crisis, Calls for Additional Support

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed on Tuesday $2.4 billion in state funds to help deal with a sharp increase of migrants arriving to the state, but said that more help was needed in order to properly take care of the crisis, Newsweek reported.

“Because of these extraordinary circumstances, which show no sign of abating right now, we have no choice but to plan for those costs again in this years’ budget,” she said. “The state will now maintain that same $1.9 billion in funding. But because the number of migrants and the expenses have only grown, I am proposing that we draw $500 million from state reserves intended for one-time emergencies like this.”

She wrote on X later in the day that despite the allocation of funds to manage the migrant crisis, the problem “won’t change until we see change in policy. I’ll be in Washington on Friday to support federal legislation & push for more funding to help the city.”

Hochul said that more funds to deal with the problem is not only “the right thing to do” for both asylum seekers and the state but also insisted that New York has an economic interest in handling the migrant crisis, because “companies won’t do business in New York if there are thousands of people sleeping on the streets or the quality of life is dramatically impacted because the city is forced to cut essential services. We must support the city of New York in this moment, avoiding disastrous effects and to protect our economy and state revenues in the short-term and the long-term as well.”

There has been a significant increase in migrants arriving in New York City in recent months after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott started busing migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border.