Mayor Eric Adams partners with New York colleges to address migrant crisis he says ‘will destroy’ NYC
Some New York colleges and universities have joined a coalition with the city government to offer internship credit to students helping with migrants’ asylum applications.
In a recent town hall meeting, Adams acknowledged that the city has become too overwhelmed by the influx of so many new immigrants.
During a Sept. 6 Manhattan town hall, New York City Mayor Eric Adams paced as he confessed how badly the city has suffered by welcoming new southern immigrants.
“This issue will destroy New York City,” Adams said. “We’re getting 10,000 migrants a month.”
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Reportedly, Adams estimates that the total number of incomers has reached 110,000 individuals, which would balloon New York City’s budget gap to $12 billion. To compensate, he has announced budget cuts of up to 15%, and perhaps even more if the federal government doesn’t get involved, the New York Daily News reports.
Earlier in the summer, Adams proposed housing the tens of thousands of new migrants in college dorms as shelters reached maximum capacity, with some State University of New York (SUNY) campuses appearing as likely hosts.
New Yorkers opposed the idea, as previous reporting by Campus Reform pointed out. Over half of New York residents opposed keeping migrants in SUNY dorms.
Then, as local officials shuffled the foreigners around, two reports of sexual assault came to light.
Buffalo State University took notice. The New York Post reported on Aug. 20 that the school would evict 44 migrants from the dorms. With students arriving on campus and allegations of sexual assault swirling in the media, parents expressed concern over their children’s safety.
New York University is now leading a consortium of schools to help process asylum applications. The consortium includes “stakeholders in government, law, corporate, nonprofit, and university sectors to provide scaled pro se application support,” according to a report by Columbia Neighbors.
“Many of the schools will offer students the opportunity to earn credit for time spent at the center, either in the form of courses or internships,” Columbia Neighbors writes. “In total, the sponsored days, for-credit courses, and undergraduate and graduate internships are expected to provide opportunities for hundreds of students to support thousands of asylum seekers in submitting their asylum applications.”
The consortium also consists of New York-based schools like Hunter College, City College, Queens College, and Baruch College.
”We appreciate Mayor Adams’ effort to enlist our students to help asylum seekers take their first steps toward achieving the American Dream,” Hunter College Interim President Ann Kirschner said in a statement posted by the mayor’s office.
“Like New York City, Baruch College is a place steeped in the value of inclusion, a place where great transformation is possible for those who are willing to work hard for it,” Baruch Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affair Linda Essig remarked.
Campus Reform has contacted Mayor Adams, Columbia University, Buffalo State University, and all consortium schools listed for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
