WASHINGTON – President Biden on Friday asked Congress to provide another $13.6 billion to address the nation’s border crisis – with $1.4 billion earmarked for struggling state and local governments.
New York, however, is left guessing how much it will get to help alleviate the billions of dollars the city is on the hook for caring for and housing the more than 130,000 immigrants who have passed through its system.
The request is buried in a larger spending request, nearly $106 billion headlined by $61.4 billion for Ukraine and $14.3 billion for Israel.
A White House fact sheet said $13.6 billion would be used to address the border, with $1.4 billion of that going toward “shelter and services for immigrants released from DHS custody,” but the administration did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on how much of the aid will be channeled to the Big Apple.
In August, the Biden administration pressed an additional request of nearly $4 billion from Congress.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have criticized Biden’s handling of record-breaking illegal immigration along the US-Mexico border — and have pleaded for cash to offset what Adams said could be a $12 billion tab for New York City .
Biden’s handling of the immigration crisis has been criticized by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has appealed for more funding. Getty Images
Biden singled out Hochul in August when he visited the White House to discuss the impact of immigration.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden couldn’t find time to meet with Hochul because he “had a lot going on” — although he found time the same day for an insensitive meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The cold snap for fellow Democrats comes as Adams says migrant costs are affecting the Big Apples budget so badly, he’s forced to ask for 15% cuts to a majority of city agencies with discretionary spending caps.
It is unclear whether Congress will pass the massive spending bill amid growing skepticism over Ukraine’s war aid after lawmakers approved $113 billion for Kyiv earlier in Russia’s 20-month invasion.
The budget request includes other funds proposed to address the border, including $1.9 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services to “support deserving arrivals and unaccompanied children,” $1.6 billion for more Border Patrol agents and asylum officers, $1.4 billion for judges new immigration , $1.2 billion for fentanyl screening equipment, $1.3 billion to support new “legal pathways” for immigrants, and a smaller $40 million boost in funding for deportations.
Biden has presided over a record-breaking wave of illegal immigration, which he attributes to economic factors and insecurity across Latin America.
His critics blame his more welcoming rhetoric and the fact that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are allowed to stay in the US to await asylum decisions.
Fiscal 2023, which ends Sept. 30, is expected to set a record annual for southwest border apprehensions — with 2.2 million arrests in the first 11 months of data.
A total of 2.38 million concerns were recorded in fiscal 2022.
Biden asked Congress for $1.6 billion for more Border Patrol agents and asylum officers.Getty Images
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has protested Biden’s release of illegal border crossings and the Democrats’ anti-deportation “sanctuary” policy by sending thousands of people on buses to New York City and other major cities.
As of this month, the Abbott administration has sent 18,500 immigrants from the border to New York City since April 2022.
Local laws oblige cities to provide free housing to immigrants, making the burden on local officials greater than in other regions.
Asylum seekers are eligible for work permits as soon as 180 days after arriving — a process that Adams has asked the Biden administration to shorten to reduce costs to the city.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
