The price of being a sanctuary city for migrants is going to be costly for New York.
The city’s Internal Budget Office estimated New York will need to spend $586 million in a year to service nearly 24,000 asylum seekers who have recently entered the city, according to a memo by acting Director George Sweeting. The estimate was requested by Staten Island politicians, including Borough President Vito Fossella.
Services included in the estimate are shelter stays, public school costs, some health services and immigration legal assistance.
“Our estimates include about $580 million in costs that are directly tied to the number of asylum seekers who already have arrived in the city,” according to the memo, dated Sunday. “Some of these costs, particularly shelter, will fall into next fiscal year.”
The IBO said it limited estimates to the cost of services the city is required to provide or has indicated it will provide. It said the costs could spike an additional $246 million should the city see an influx of 10,000 more asylum seekers.
The memo came days after Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to close Wednesday a temporary tent city for single adult male asylum seekers on Randall’s Island, which had been open for about a month. Those staying at the tent city will be moved to the Watson Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which will provide a total of 600 rooms, according to a city news release.
“We will continue to pivot and shift as necessary to deal with this humanitarian crisis, but it’s clear that we still need financial assistance from our state and federal partners,” Adams said in the release.
The IBO said absent any federal funding, all the money will have to come from the city's coffers. The New York Post reported Adams asked the Biden administration in September for $500 million to deal with the migrant crisis.
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