Ex-NY Gov. David Paterson warns of ‘revolt’ against federal government over migrant crisis
Former New York Gov. David Paterson warned Sunday there might be a “revolt’’ by US cities against the federal government over the migrant crisis — and claimed “we probably need” such drastic action to wake up the clueless Biden administration.
“There does not seem to be any willingness or ability on the part of the federal government” to fix what has become an ever-worsening issue, Paterson told John Catsimatidis on WABC 770AM radio’s “Cats Roundtable.”
“The federal government just decided they are sending the people in, and we should just be happy. I don’t know what it is that they expect. They sent really no money,” said Paterson, who like Biden is a Democrat.
“It could in some ways backfire when other cities have the same problem as New York City,” he said of the White House’s stance. “There might be a kind of city-vs.-country revolt — which we probably need at this point.
“I think most people are very sympathetic to the plight of the migrants and would like to help. But as in any situation, even when you’re giving to charity, you give as much as you can, not as much as they think you should.”
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Eric Adam made yet another desperate plea to the federal government for aid as the number of migrants in city shelters is expected to double to around 100,000 by June 2024 — with the Big Apple’s estimated three-year cost for the crisis put at about $12 billion.
“As we get into September, October, November, the same discussion that we’ve had is just going to intensify,” Paterson said, echoing Adams’ urgency.
The former governor blamed the Biden administration for the crisis, saying the federal government rushed into sending migrants to cities across the country with little or no plan.
“This is the kind of plan that should never have been enacted within a year. [The Biden administration] should have taken a year to try to adjust the facilities and the capacity of a city or a town or wherever you’re sending migrants,” Paterson said.
Paterson commended Gov. Kathy Hochul’s efforts to procure funds from the state legislature to help the city next year.
“Governor Hochul, to her credit, at the end of [legislative] session explained to the legislative leaders how serious this was . And without any long debate or discussion, they sent $1 billion,” he said.
Currently, the city spends about $383 a night for each of the 25,600 asylum-seeker households it shelters, which includes couples, families with kids and individuals.
Those migrants are being housed in 198 facilities across the city, according to officials, but capacity has been so tight that people have sometimes been forced to camp out on sidewalks in the heart of Manhattan.
Adams’ warnings about the city’s financial situation have been increasingly bleak.
“With more than 57,300 individuals currently in our care on an average night, it amounts to $9.8 million a day. Almost $300 million a month and nearly $3.6 billion a year,” he said last week.
“This is the floor, not the ceiling,” he said of the crisis.
