Originally published September 28, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
In an effort to curb the influx of migrants seeking shelter, New York City has initiated a campaign, announcing plans to distribute flyers recommending migrants to consider more affordable cities.
This is despite the city being a so-called “sanctuary city,” which is a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing immigration law.
The move was announced by Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, in a recent news conference.
She highlighted the intent behind the flyers, which is to clarify the reality of the city’s shelter system status and to rectify misinformation circulating online.
“We know that at the beginning of the crisis, we were able to put people in hotels. We’re no longer, I think, putting men and single adult families in hotels. We are helping to the extent that we can people do their work authorization,” she said. “Of course, we are always going to be truthful, but we definitely do want to discourage people from coming here so that we can pretty much deal with the 113,000 people that are in our system right now.”
The flyers, directed at asylum-seeking migrants, are explicit in their message, cautioning against relying on incorrect information found on social media or provided by human traffickers.
The flyers elaborate that resources in New York City “have been exhausted,” and hence, newly arrived migrants “will not be placed in a hotel.”
The communication stresses the economic challenges in the city, stating, “NYC is one of the most expensive cities in the world; you are better off going to a more affordable city.”
Williams-Isom disclosed that these informative flyers aim to offer insight into the limitations of what the city can and cannot provide, especially with the shelter system currently accommodating 113,000 individuals.
The flyers are critical of the perception that the city can easily aid in obtaining work permits, specifying that migrants “will not be able to easily find work.”
Those who have been sheltered are reportedly receiving “letters to move out.”
In light of the city revising its shelter stay limits for single adults from 60 to 30 days, individuals, post this duration, are required to reapply for shelter.
Williams-Isom highlighted the renewal of bus services from El Paso and added services from the state of Texas, acknowledging, “This past weekend, we got word that the city of El Paso would resume bussing on top of the buses that are still being sent from Governor Abbott and the state of Texas.”
This campaign follows a previous endeavor in July when the city distributed similar flyers, explaining there was “no guarantee” of providing shelter to asylum-seekers due to high living costs.
The high expenditure on “food, transportation, and other necessities in NYC” was emphasized, recommending migrants to “consider another city as you make your decision about where to settle in the U.S.”
See the flyer below:
The flyers are to be distributed not only in the city’s shelters and intake shelters but also through NGOs and nonprofits nationwide.
The city aims to alleviate misconceptions about the possibilities and realities of seeking shelter in New York City by providing accurate information at the border and in other cities from where people are migrating to New York City.
The primary objective remains to transparently communicate the stretched resources and the advisability of considering alternate cities for settlement.
In response to the escalating migrant situation in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, invoked the aid of the National Guard this week.
Governor Hochul has fortified New York State’s efforts to assist asylum seekers by deploying an additional 150 members of the National Guard, bringing the total number of National Guard personnel working on the crisis to 2,050.
The deployment signifies an expansion of the state’s commitment to alleviate the ongoing asylum seeker and migrant crisis, with 250 National Guard personnel now assigned full-time to case management services.
