Open letter from CEOs urges Biden to ‘secure the border’ and expedite work permits for asylum seekers in response to the migrant situation in New York City.By Keith Griffith for Associated Press and Dailymail.com 29 August 2023 13:14 Eastern Daylight Time
In an open letter to President Joe Biden, more than 100 business executives from New York City demand that he “take immediate action to better control the border” and expedite the asylum and work permission procedures for immigrants.The letter, which was made public on Monday, supported New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent request for increased federal funding to manage the migrant inflow. It was written to “President Biden and Congressional Leaders.”The letter is being sent as 100,000 migrants flood New York City, crowding up shelters and forcing many people to sleep on the streets of Manhattan.In the letter, it was claimed that “the New York business community is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis that has arisen as a result of the continued flow of asylum-seekers into our country.”
The report went on to say that “the situation is overwhelming the resources not only of the border region but of city and state governments across the nation,” noting that alone New York municipal has taken in more than 100,000 migrants whose futures as refugees and workers are still up in the air.The Biden administration “has led the largest expansion of lawful pathways to immigration in decades,” according to a White House source who spoke to DailyMail.com, and it is “committed to building a humane, safe, and orderly immigration system.”Click here to read the entire letter. Albert Bourla of Pfizer, Jaime Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Jeff Gennette of Macy’s, and David Solomon of Goldman Sachs were among the signatories of a recent open letter.
The letter supported Hochul’s recent request that Biden act quickly to assist her state in absorbing a wave of international migrants that has taxed New York’s resources and overflowed homeless shelters.The letter said, “In addition, there is a compelling need for expedited processing of work permits and asylum applications for those who meet federal eligibility standards.” The letter stated that “immigration laws and border control are clearly federal responsibilities; state and local governments have no standing in this matter.””Those who arrive through those legal pathways are immediately eligible to request an employment authorization document,” the White House representative told DailyMail.com.The official stated: “The law establishes a 180-day waiting period to obtain a work authorization.” The official also underlined that the present procedure for asylum applications and employment authorization is regulated by law, which can only be amended by Congress.
According to a representative for the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas recently assigned “an expert team” the responsibility of evaluating New York City’s migrant operations.According to the spokesperson, “the team was impressed with the exceptional efforts made by New York officials in the face of the ongoing strain of accommodating a large number of migrants and has provided recommendations for improvements, including data collection, case management, and increased communication with migrants on work authorizations.”
800 single males are currently being housed in an FAA hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to a federal official who worked under the Biden administration.Eleven more federal facilities located throughout the state of New York are being looked at as potential locations to house migrants, the source claimed.
New York, traditionally regarded as welcoming to immigrants, is becoming increasingly polarized between local elected Democrats and the Biden administration as a result of the migrant humanitarian situation. Hochul said she addressed a letter to the president urging him to expedite work permits for immigrants and offer funding to help care for the estimated 100,000 asylum seekers who have entered the state in the previous year, largely to New York City, in a rare public address last week.
Hochul stated in a speech given in Albany, “The reality is that we’ve managed thus far without substantive support from Washington, and despite the fact that this is a national, and in fact an inherently federal issue.” But this load has been carried by New York for far too long.After months of personal petitions to the White House, the public appeal was made.
The governor’s letter’s main request was that the president shorten the protracted bureaucratic procedure through which immigrants might obtain work permits and earn enough money to stop receiving public aid.Hochul replied, addressing the White House, “Let them work.”A similar demand has been made time and time again by Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Although New York has always taken pride in its capacity to welcome large numbers of immigrants, it has had difficulty accommodating the thousands who have arrived over the past year, many of whom arrived on buses funded by the state of Texas in an effort to reduce the number of individuals crossing the southern border into the US.
In the beginning, New York Democrats held the Republican governors of southern states responsible for the disaster, but they have since tried to depict it as a national issue that the federal government should address.Additionally, the circumstance has given Republicans in the state a fresh political platform from which to criticize Democrats after an election year in which the GOP gained support by decrying Democrats for being sluggish to act on crime-related matters.Kathy Hochul’s response to sitting on her hands for so long is to address Joe Biden in a stern letter. Come on, it’s not that serious,’ said David Laska, spokesman for the New York Republican Party.
Democrats in the state are displeased with the situation as well. Adams started organizing his own bus trips to transport migrants to other parts of the state, much to the chagrin of officials in those regions, as New York City’s homeless shelter system became overburdened and the cost of sheltering migrants in hotels and temporary shelters rose.The appropriate way to accommodate and employ resources to care for the migrants has been a point of contention between Hochul’s and Adams’ attorneys in court. Up to $1.5 billion has been set aside by the state for its migratory response.
Hochul requested Biden for money to deal with such expenses and the estimated $4.5 billion needed in the next year. The governor also asked for permission for the state and municipalities to lodge migrants on federally owned property.Officials in New York City have been rushing to build up temporary lodging in hotels, leisure centers, school gyms, and a hospital parking lot because the city’s shelters are almost at capacity. Any person in need of refuge must be assisted by the city, as required by law.Republicans are already use the response to this influx of immigration as a platform for election-year campaigning in 2024.Laska remarked that “New Yorkers won’t forget what transpired under Kathy Hochul’s watch.”
They “won’t forget” that “the real solution is to close the border” and that “communities from all over the state have been strained beyond their capacity to handle this influx of migrants.” Concerned Business Leaders’ Open Letter to the President & Congressional Leaders Regarding the Asylum-Seekers Humanitarian Crisis August 28, 2023Dear Leaders in Congress and President Biden:The ongoing influx of asylum seekers into our nation has caused a humanitarian situation that has the New York business sector very worried.
The scenario is taxing not only the border region’s resources but also those of local and state governments across the country. More than 100,000 undocumented asylum seekers who are unable to work have arrived in New York City alone. These are more frequently young family units.We are writing to express our support for Governor Hochul’s appeal for federal money for services in the areas of education, housing, security, and healthcare in order to help local and state governments offset the expenditures they are facing in light of the federal government’s restricted budget. Additionally, there is an urgent need for people who meet federal eligibility requirements to have their petitions for work permits and asylum processed quickly. State and municipal governments have no authority over immigration laws or border security; these are plainly federal responsibilities.
Many U.S. businesses are experiencing a labor shortage, and employers are willing to provide training and employment opportunities to people with legal authorization to work in the country. The business community is also giving financial money and in-kind aid to groups that are attending to the urgent needs of this predominantly impoverished people.
The Administration and Congress working together to address immigration concerns is ultimately the best course of action, but it will take time. of the interim, we implore you to act quickly to improve border security, streamline the asylum application process, and offer assistance to the towns and states that are struggling under the weight of the surge of asylum seekers.More than 100 business leaders, including Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO of Pfizer Inc. and Co-Chair of the Partnership for New York City, signed the letter.President and CEO of Tishman Speyer and co-chair of the Partnership for New York City, Rob SpeyerCenterbridge Partners’ managing principal, Jeffrey H. AronsonParamount Global President and CEO Robert BakishChairman and Managing Partner Neil Barr Wardwell & Davis Polk LLThe Related Companies, L.P.’s Chief Executive Officer is PJeff T. Blau.Con Edison’s chairman, president, and CEO is Tim Cawley.Global Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young LLP Carmine Di SibioJPMorgan Chase & Co. Chairman and CEO Amy Dimon.Marsh McLennan’s President and CEO, John Q. DoyleCenterview Partners’ co-founder Blair W. EffronCatherine Engelbert is the WNBA Commissioner.BlackRock Chairman and CEO Laurence D. FinkGeneral Atlantic LLC’s Chairman and CEO, William E. FordChief Executive Officer of Citi Jane FraserMacy’s, Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette.