New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pleads for 'federal solution' to migrant crisis

Left-wing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is calling for President Joe Biden to come up with a "federal solution" for the thousands of illegal immigrants who are being bused to New York City from overwhelmed border states.

The Democratic governor told Bloomberg Television Tuesday that she's raised the issue with the White House and has asked for federal resources to shelter the migrants.

“We have been working almost hourly with the city of New York since the migrants started arriving. And it’s something that we’re working, first of all, to say human beings should not [be] used as political pawns. Once they come here, they need a place to stay, a transitional time, usually upwards of a week in order to get their feet on the ground and to find a place to live," Hochul said. “This is just a temporary situation, but, absolutely, we’re working with the federal government as well. I’ve raised this with the White House, and this calls for a federal solution.”

“Let’s look at federal facilities, federal staff to help supplement the city and the state,” she continued, adding that she does not want the issue to "get out of control."

Democratic officials in sanctuary cities like New York have loudly complained since Republican governors in border states began busing illegal immigrants to their jurisdictions in spring. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced in April that the Texas Division of Emergency Management would charter buses and flights to transport migrants who had been processed and released from federal custody to Washington, D.C., New York, and other sanctuary cities. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have followed suit, sending thousands of migrants who consent to go north straight into the arms of liberals who claim to be pro-immigrant.

Though initially dismissed as a "gimmick" and a "political stunt," the large volume of migrants sent to Democratic cities quickly presented problems for those communities, which were not ready to receive them. In July, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser called the situation in her city a "humanitarian crisis" and requested that the National Guard be activated to help take care of roughly 4,000 migrants who had been sent to her city by then.

New York City has received more than 16,000 illegal immigrants since May, according to Mayor Eric Adams, who has also pleaded for help to find shelter and food for the migrants.

Adams spoke about the issue at a press conference on Monday, where he blasted both the "far left" and "far right" for failing to find solutions to the migrant crisis.

“The far right is doing the wrong thing. The far left is doing nothing. I mean the silence — I don’t believe the silence that I’m hearing,” Adams said Monday. “These are people in need of services, and I am not hearing from the two ends of the spectrum. Far right is doing what’s wrong. Far left is doing nothing at all. It is time for us to address this in a unified way, and that’s what we are doing, this administration is doing. And we should not be doing it alone.”

New York City is building emergency tents to house recently arrived migrants, but Adams said construction has been delayed because of recent storms. Observing there is a risk of flooding in the original location for one of the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, the mayor said it will be relocated from the Bronx to Randall's Island and be able to house about 500 migrant asylum seekers.