Migrants Protest for More Free Government Benefits in New York City

Migrants sit in a queue outside of The Roosevelt Hotel that is being used by the city as t
AP Photo/John Minchillo

A group of several dozen migrants joined liberal Democrat politicians in New York City on Thursday to protest for even more government benefits for “newcomers.”

The New York Immigration Coalition joined a group of elected Democrat officials on the steps of City Hall to demand more money from the city budget to be dedicated to migrants, according to Caribbean Life.

The activists demanded an array of higher spending, including an additional $109 million for free legal services for immigrants, $5 million for language services, $25 million in support for two city programs for illegal aliens, and an end to policies that evict migrants from shelters after a prescribed time.

New York Mayor Eric Adams visits with asylum seekers taking shelter at James Madison High School, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Jan. 9, 2024. (Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office via AP)

Council Member Alexa Avilés, for one, demanded that New York Mayor Eric Adams increase spending for migrants, and added, “Our priorities remain crystal clear: legal services, transfer schools, language justice and more.”

Council Member Shahana Hanif, who has advocated for permanent free housing for migrants, insisted that New York City should prioritize providing “quality education, good jobs, adequate healthcare, and dignified housing, reflect our unwavering commitment to building a city that uplifts all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status and no matter when they arrived.”

Hanif went on to claim that Biden’s tidal wave of illegal immigrants are “our new neighbors” who she claims face “roadblocks … when accessing housing, employment, and education.”

Murad Awawdeh, the president of the New York Immigration Coalition, claimed that “when we invest in newcomers and long-term immigrant New Yorkers alike and provide the tools they need to succeed, our city’s economy and culture reap the long-term benefits.”

“Access to a quality education, a good job, housing, language services and healthcare, rather than austerity and marginalization, is what all New Yorkers need to get on the road to self-sufficiency,” he exclaimed. “As we welcome our newest neighbors to our great city, we are urging the Mayor and City Council to continue its fight for immigrant and working New Yorkers.”

Migrants have been increasingly protesting that they aren’t getting enough free aid, food, housing, and educational and legal services in this country. In April, hundreds of African migrants protested outside New York City’s seat of government to demand more money and freebies.

NYPD - New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams (R) and the newly appointed ATF Director Steve Dettelbah, as she delivers remarks about their joint effort to combat gun violence at the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) office on August 24, 2022, in New York City. They outlined steps needed to stem gun violence in the city, citing that the problem is a nationwide issue. The plan is to work with neighboring states with lax gun laws to stem the interstate gun trafficking while employing the latest technological resources. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks, joined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Last week, a news outlet in Rochester, New York, interviewed a migrant who was heard complaining that the city and state was not living up to its promises to migrants.

Despite all this, New York City has already thrown $1.45 billion at the migrant issue last year and could be on course to spend an incredible $12 billion over the next three years.

Also this year, New York Dem. Gov. Kathy Hochul succeeded in passing a $237 billion budget with an additional $2.4 billion in spending on migrants.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston

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