Democratic mayors from some of the nation’s largest cities are meeting in Washington, D.C., Thursday, Nov. 2, to ask for more resources in handling the immigration crisis. Mayors from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Houston are asking the federal government for help. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was planning to be in attendance but had to cancel at the last minute.
All five mayors signed a letter to President Joe Biden ahead of meeting, and at the top of the list was a $5 billion request.
The Biden administration has asked Congress to allocate $1.4 billion in food, shelter, and services for migrants needs in U.S. cities. While the five mayors thanked the president, they also requested that he triples the asking amount.
“While we are greatly appreciative of the additional federal funding proposed, our city budgets and local taxpayers continue to bear the brunt of this ongoing federal crisis,” the letter said. “We respectfully advocate for additional funding.”
The requested $5 billion is to cover expenses that the cities have already incurred and costs of migrants in the foreseeable future. According to the letter, Denver spends $2 million a week on shelter for migrants alone. Chicago has spent $320 million this year and New York has surpassed a total of $1.7 billion dollars on migrants there.
The mayors collectively listed four critical steps for success in handling the immigration crisis. The steps involve money, approving work authorizations more quickly, and increasing work opportunities for migrants. The last step listed is appointing regional coordinators to assist in dispersing migrants across the U.S. into cities with more capacity.
None of the steps involved slowing the influx of migrants into the country but rather how the country can better set migrants up for success upon arrival. In October, Mayor Adams clarified that New York City believes the border should remain open.
“We believe the border should remain open,” Adams said. “That is the official position of this city but we have made it clear there should be a decompression strategy that we could properly deal with the volumes that are coming into our cities and no cities should have to carry the burden of the national government.”
As the mayors meet in D.C. to discuss the overflow of migrants in their cities, more migrants are on their way in the form of a caravan. According to the caravan organizer, Irineo Mujica, the group has swelled from about 1,000 on Monday to more than 7,000 people as of Thursday.
