Albany, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she wants to spend $2.4 billion to help deal with the massive influx of migrants who have overwhelmed New York City's homeless shelters — addressing a damaging political issue for Democrats in her proposed state budget.
The migrant spending plan came as part of a $233 billion budget proposal from the governor's office that will kick off months of negotiations with legislative leaders.
How the governor planned to deal with migrants, some 70,000 of whom are in the care of New York City, had been a looming question ahead of the legislative session. She did not tackle the issue in her State of the State address last week and the word "migrant" wasn't mentioned in her detailed 181-page policy plan book.
On Tuesday, she unveiled a plan to provide shelter services, legal assistance and more for asylum-seekers, and reiterated calls for the federal government to provide more assistance to the state.
"We're doing this not just because it's the right thing to do for the migrants and for the city of New York," Hochul said at the state Capitol. "We also know that companies won't do business in New York if there are thousands of people sleeping on the streets, or the quality of life is dramatically impacted because the city is forced to cut essential services."
The issue has the potential to damage Democratic congressional candidates in New York this fall, with key suburban races in the state expected to heavily count toward which party controls the U.S. House. Republicans have been lobbing steady criticism at President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats over federal immigration policy, with the subject already touching races in New York.
"We have a Democratic administration in Washington that hasn't addressed the border crisis, has not secured the border," Assembly Republican Minority Leader Will Barclay told reporters. "I'm not thrilled to have to spend any money on the migrant crisis."
State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt issued this statement: "Instead of offering a fiscally responsible budget that delivers relief to hardworking families and struggling small businesses, the Governor's massive $233 billion plan includes misguided spending priorities that will make New York even less affordable for years to come. More potential prison closures, changes in school funding, and a lack of significant investment in upstate roads and bridges is alarming. This budget, while crafted by a Western New York Governor, seems to elevate a New York City driven agenda, while the rest of the state is left to deal with problems created by bad policies from downstate Democrats.
The Governor's proposal includes a staggering $2.4 billion in taxpayer money to address the migrant crisis that far-left politicians welcomed to our state. This state shouldn't spend a single dollar on this issue until we put an end to the sanctuary city policies that created this crisis in New York.
The Governor's budget also fails to seriously address the public safety crisis confronting local communities all across our state. She is proposing to spend millions of tax dollars on a series of new programs, but completely fails to make the kind of fundamental reforms we need to restore law and order, combat serious crime, and keep our local communities safe and secure.
As the budget process now moves forward, the Senate Republican Conference will be carefully examining every aspect of the Governor's proposal, while also pushing for comprehensive, common sense reforms that will make our state safer, stronger and more affordable."
Hochul's plan would earmark $2.4 billion for short-term shelter services, health care and pay for larger-scale emergency housing centers that have been set up to deal with the influx of asylum seekers. It would also be used to pay for legal assistance to help migrants through the asylum and work-permitting process.
The governor told reporters she will head to Washington this week to meet with the Biden administration to discuss the migrant influx — one of many such visits she has had over the last several months.
"Until we see a change in federal policy that slows the flow of new arrivals, we're going to be swimming against the tide," Hochul said.
The proposed budget also provided Hochul a chance to elaborate on several policy proposals she announced last week.
She asked for $35.3 billion in education funding, in part to expand universal prekindergarten programs in school districts across the state, and said she wants $40 million for a plan to crack down on retail theft. Separately, she said spending on Medicaid would reach $35.5 billion, which would mark an increase from last year driven by greater enrollment.
The deadline for adopting a state budget is April 1.
