This is one of those situations in which a politician engages in a bit of theater to convince their base that they are doing something to solve a problem, but in reality, they are not. Enter New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who recently made a trip to the southern border to scope out the situation.
During his visit, Adams appeared to throw President Joe Biden under the bus for his refusal to employ meaningful solutions to the migrant crisis. But a closer look shows that this may have just been mindless political posturing.
In case you missed it, RedState’s Nick Arama reported:
Adams arrived in El Paso on Saturday and said the flood of illegal aliens across the border was a “national crisis” that demanded a “national solution,” laying the blame squarely at the feet of Joe Biden. He visited the border and a CBP processing center. He immediately showed up Joe Biden’s recent visit by going to a place where illegal aliens cross the border, as well as an area where illegal aliens were sleeping in the city, and speaking with illegal aliens — things that Biden couldn’t be bothered to do. Fabien Levy, the Mayor’s Press Secretary said the illegal aliens said they were there for work. That would indicate they were more than economic migrants.
On Friday, Adams said that New York City is at its “breaking point” as the steady stream of migrants continues to arrive in the Big Apple. He has submitted an emergency aid request to New York state to help with sheltering asylum seekers and illegal aliens.
“That announcement came after the city reportedly received more than 3,100 asylum seekers in the past week – with more than 800 arriving last Thursday alone,” according to Fox News.
“We’re pointing the finger … at our national government,” Adams said. “This is a national problem. We must have real immigration reform, and we must immediately have a short-term fix of making sure that the cost of this does not fall on our local cities.”
Adams chastised Govs. Jared Polis of Colorado and Greg Abbott of Texas for their “uncoordinated efforts” in bussing migrants to New York City.
“The governor of Colorado, who’s a Democrat, and … the governor of Texas, who’s a Republican – I think they had a bipartisan disrespect for the cities, and it was wrong and it should not happen, and it should not continue,” Adams said.
“Our cities are being undermined. And we don’t deserve this. Migrants don’t deserve this. And people who live in the cities don’t deserve this,” the mayor continued. “We expect more from our national leaders to address this issue in a real way.”
But another news report suggests that Adams may have been engaging in a bit of theater for the eagerly-awaiting cameras. During an appearance on a radio show on January 13, Adams said taxpayers should foot the $2 billion bill to take care of the migrants entering the city. While addressing the crowd in El Paso, he said he would be fighting to ensure that economic migrants could “experience the American dream.”
Outside Sacred Heart Church, asylum seekers overwhelmingly raise their hands to tell @NYCMayor they want to work.
Mayor Adams has been calling on the federal government to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers since last year. pic.twitter.com/K4aFYgW8n3
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) January 15, 2023
Breitbart News reported:
Adams’ $2 billion demand is twice his October demand for $1 billion, and it comes after President Joe Biden invited many more thousands of low-wage, apartment-sharing migrants to seek jobs in the United States. “We’re trying to make it easier for people to get here,” Biden declared in a January 10 summit meeting in Mexico.
Nearly all of the migrants are seeking work, partly because many have to repay loans and mortgages which they took out to fund their trek to Biden’s border welcome. Many also bring their children, hoping for free schooling in the schools needed by American kids.
The author also noted that Adams is welcoming the migrants “because they allow the city’s Democratic leaders to preserve their high/low economy” and that this economy “allows a small number of wealthy landlords and investors to keep political power.”
This allows Democrats to continue positioning themselves as saviors for those living in poverty. As conservative commentator Sonnie Johnson always says: “If they want to be the party of the poor, they have to keep you poor.”
It seems this is Adams’ objective. While complaining about the influx of migrants, he is taking advantage of their plight to score political points for himself and his comrades.
There have been some Democrats like Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) who have been willing to criticize the Biden administration for its poor handling of the border crisis. But in the case of Adams, it appears this is all for show.
