Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams used rhetoric similar to Donald Trump's when rejecting his recent indictment, saying he is being targeted by the federal government for his policies regarding the large arrival of migrants to the city over the past years.
Reacting to his indictment, which has not been unsealed as of Thursday morning, Adams said he "always knew" he would become a target for demanding help from the federal government on the issue and that the investigation on him began as retaliation.
"Despite our pleas, the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system," Adams said, making reference to the arrival of over 215,000 migrants to the city over approximately two years. "I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth," he added.
The Adams administration has changed some city policies to deal with the influx of migrants, including reducing the amount of time they can spend at its shelters, as arrivals overwhelmed its capacity at the peak of the crisis.
A policy change from late August could grant the city permission to begin evicting many of the roughly 30,000 migrant parents and children living in Department of Homeless Services shelters. Concretely, the state has granted the city permission to begin issuing 60-day eviction notices to any family not receiving public assistance.
The expanded eviction policy was the latest move to nudge them to leave city shelters, and to curtail the estimated extra $4 billion to $9 billion for their care over the next two years. This has caused an increasing number of migrants to sleep in tents and on park benches across the city, Gothamist reported.
However, despite Adams' claim about the federal government being too lenient on immigration, a line frequently used by Trump in his campaign, the Biden administration has cracked down on immigration in parallel to New York City. It's restrictions on asylum-seeking for those arriving at the southern border have contributed to a drastic decrease in arrivals, and 2024's figures are now on pace to be the lowest of the Biden administration.
Federal officials have not spoken publicly about the recent charges against Adams, but New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did ask for his resignation on Wednesday. "The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov. function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration. For the good of the city, he should resign," she said before the indictment news surfaced.
I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 25, 2024
The flood of resignations and vacancies are threatening gov function. Nonstop investigations will make it impossible to recruit and retain a qualified administration.
For the good of the city, he should resign.…
The administration has been hit with other investigations involving senior members, including the police commissioner, the first deputy mayor, the schools chancellor, the deputy mayor for public safety and a senior adviser close to Mr. Adams.
The details of Adams' indictment have not been made public but could surface as soon as Thursday, local media reported. According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors are investigating whether Adams conspired with the Turkish government to funnel illegal foreign donations to his campaign and sought information about interactions with five other countries.
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