Former New York Gov. David Paterson on Sunday called Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams “brave” for breaking party lines and pressuring President Biden to help with the city’s migrant surge.
The Democratic former gov slammed the Dem president in a radio interview with John Catsimatidis for leaving US cities to fend for themselves financially while migrants flood in.
“You can’t just send [the migrants] to the states and then think that because the leader of the largest city in the state is a Democrat, that they have to support you,” Paterson said during the “Cats Roundtable” show.
Paterson said while many cities haven’t pressured Biden to help them address the influx of migrants because they are led by fellow Democrats, Adams “has stood up and basically said to President Biden, ‘If you’re going to send the migrants to my city, where are the resources to help take care of them?’
“I think it was very brave,” Paterson said of Adams.
The mayor declared a state of emergency in the city in October over the migrant crisis and repeatedly called for help from the president as well as from Gov. Kathy Hochul. He is seeking aid to help pay for housing and services for over 42,000 migrants that have poured into the city since the spring.
Adams estimated the surge of new residents would cost taxpayers $1 billion.
Paterson said Adams appears to be forming a coalition with mayors in Chicago and El Paso, Texas – which “the president is eventually going to have to face if he can’t come up with the resources,” to send aid to those cities.
“The population of Madison Square Garden at a sold-out Knicks game — if you imagine all of those people coming into New York City for the first time every day — that’s what we’re being faced with,” Paterson said.
Paterson – who was governor from 2008 through 2011 – said the flux of migrants strains the city’s mental-health and criminal-justice systems and adds to homelessness.
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“It’s going to be a quagmire,” Paterson said of the situation if it isn’t addressed soon. “And it’s only going to get worse as the weather gets warmer.”
On Thursday, during Adams’ “State of the City” address, the mayor said: “Over the past year, our ability to care was put to the test by the asylum-seeker crisis.
“New Yorkers rose to the occasion — as they always do. We’ll continue to do our part, but we need everyone else to do their part, as well … We can’t continue to shoulder this course on our own. We’re gonna need help.
“The asylum-seeker crisis is a national crisis. And it should not be just for New York City residents. That’s just unfair,” the mayor added.