Mayor Adams ignites controversy after saying the migrant crisis will 'destroy' NYC

Mayor Eric Adams is earning praise from Republicans and criticism from members of his own party after telling an audience of Upper West Side residents that the weekly influx of thousands of migrants “will destroy New York City.”

“I’m gonna tell you something, New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I didn’t see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this,” Adams said during a town hall event Wednesday night. “This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.”

“Everyone is saying it is New York City’s problem. Every community in this city is going to be impacted,” he added. “Every service in this city is going to be impacted, all of us.”

Adams’ comments marked some of his most aggressive rhetoric yet on a crisis that threatens to become a potent political issue in a key election cycle. Republicans have blamed the crisis on President Joe Biden and his administration’s failure to manage the southern border.

By Thursday morning, a video clip of the mayor’s remarks had gone viral on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“I don’t care if he’s a Democrat. This is the TRUTH,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate and rising star among conservatives.

Joe Borelli, a Republican city councilmember who represents Staten Island, also amplified Adams’ statements, calling the city “doomed.”

Meanwhile, some progressives — including Bill Neidhardt, a Democratic strategist who served as former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s press secretary — likened Adams’ message to that of Trump.

“Let’s drop this demagoguery and invest in welcoming asylum seekers and getting them work,” posted Councilmember Tiffany Cabán of Queens.

In a post on X, state Sen. Jessica Ramos said, "This was irresponsible and is already emboldening xenophobic & anti immigrant rhetoric."

And the Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless, which have been advocating for the migrants on multiple fronts, said the mayor's comments were "reckless and unproductive fear-mongering."

"This dangerous rhetoric is something you’d expect from fringe politicians on the far-right of the political spectrum, not from the mayor of a city that has always welcomed and celebrated its diverse and critically important immigrant community,” said Legal Aid spokesperson Redmond Haskins in an emailed statement.

Adams, who won election as a moderate Democrat, has been increasingly isolated on the migrant issue, and has been caught between scant federal support and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s unwillingness to assume a greater role in managing the influx. Administration officials estimate that as many as 10,000 new arrivals are coming each month, and claim that the migrants are drawn by the city’s unique right to shelter rule, which legally mandates a bed for anyone who asks for one. More than 110,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the past year, according to City Hall.

Reached for comment, the mayor’s office referred to a post from Charles Lutvak, a mayoral spokesperson.

Lutvak responded to Borelli saying he had misread the mayor’s remarks as anti-migrant. He pointed out that the city was now caring for nearly 60,000 migrants and had set up more than 200 emergency shelters.

“Every community in NYC must do their part,” Lutvak said. “And if things don't change, every service in this city will be impacted. That's what the mayor said last night and all year. Glad you're listening.”

Throughout the crisis, Adams has walked a delicate line between venting his frustrations with the White House and supporting the rights of migrants, most of whom are families fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.

In April, he was roundly criticized for saying that the city was being “destroyed by the migrant crisis.”

Fellow Democrats called the language inflammatory and divisive. Up until Wednesday, he had largely refrained from using those words again, opting instead to champion the rights of migrants to work.

Last week, the mayor held a rally urging the federal government to expedite work authorizations for migrants, a plea that the White House has rejected because of legal and political hurdles.

He led a chant saying, “No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!”

And at one point, he fended off an attack from a heckler who opposed the arrival of migrants.

“Where were you when your family wanted to come here and participate in the American dream?” he said. “How many people protested against your family?”

This story has been updated with comment from the Legal Aid Society.