New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday that the state will reopen the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island after both were closed due to the federal government shutdown, explaining his reasons in a number of tweets.
Cuomo said he will use state funds to keep the sites open, saying they will reopen on Monday, according to WPIX11 New York.
Although the sites are located within the territorial jurisdiction of New York, they are federal property administered by the National Park Service and were thus closed by the shutdown.
Cuomo said state will spend about $65,000 per day for the federal workers who operate the sites, explaining that the revenue gained more than offsets the costs. The state made the same arrangement in 2013, during the last government shutdown.
In addition to the financial reason, Cuomo, a Democrat, stressed that "It’s a symbol of America, and especially into today’s environment when the federal government is trying to close down the Statue of Liberty, in my opinion - when they try to kick out immigrants, when they try to deport Dreamers," according to the Democrat and Chronicle. "The federal government has tried to close it down symbolically. We want to keep it open literally."
Democrats have opposed any funding measure without guarantees that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, will continue, The Hill reported.
Cuomo is considered a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, although he is running for a third term as governor this year.
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