According to Newsweek, the plan involves key officials, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams and leaders from the New York State Association of County (NYSAC), who are strategizing on how to move asylum-seekers from areas outside New York City back to the city as the school year concludes.
New York City has emerged as a national magnet for migrant asylum-seekers, with over 200,000 arrivals since the spring of 2022 and more than 65,000 still relying on the city's resources. Approximately 1,500 migrants are currently housed in shelters outside the city. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy expressed on Tuesday that the migrant population in his county remains in flux. Albany County, with a population of around 320,000 residents, is currently home to about 1,300 asylum-seekers, including approximately 700 who are not presently part of the existing Migrant Relocation Assistance Program (MRAP) and are expected to return to New York City in July.
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"I'm dealing with a homeless epidemic, dealing with more women and children in shelters than ever before," McCoy stated. "Food prices are up, so our pantries are thin. I need to take care of my people first." He further noted that the state's budget allocation of nearly $4 billion over the past two cycles for services such as housing and medical care "is having a fiscal impact" and that these funds could be utilized more effectively elsewhere.
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In March, McCoy, who also serves as the president of NYSAC, and other NYSAC officials visited the southern border to evaluate the situation firsthand. During their visit to the border city of El Paso, Texas, they drafted a letter addressed to President Joe Biden and Congress. The letter called for a range of reforms, including increased investment in border agents, streamlining the legal immigration process, providing federal funding for New York communities affected by the migrant influx, ensuring humane treatment of migrants, and providing FEMA funding to support New York City and other impacted communities.
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"I'd be a fool if I told you the letter changed anything at all, but I hope it had input," McCoy said. He oversees a unique immigration office in New York that represents 13 counties that regularly work with attorneys representing migrants seeking U.S. citizenship—a process that can take over a decade in some cases.
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"The system's broke, and it needs to be changed," McCoy asserted. "We need to stop playing politics...People come to New York City because they can get free transportation to Tennessee or California. It's ironic that they're fully aware if they have no money and can't earn money they can go to New York City for free transportation."
While Albany County is grappling with around 1,300 migrants, McCoy noted that other counties, such as Erie County with fewer than 100 migrants and Monroe County with under 250, are not as overwhelmed. "I'm pulling my fair weight, but there comes a point," McCoy added.
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In line with a homelessness dashboard launched in April to evaluate sheltered individuals citywide, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander revealed that more than 120,000 individuals resided in homeless shelters in February 2024, including asylum-seekers and new arrivals. The shelter population has "sharply rose" by 167 percent since April 2022 due to migrants and asylees.
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NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario told Spectrum News that the relocation of migrants upstate was always intended to be "temporary," a response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's decision to bus migrants to so-called sanctuary cities. "The city seems to be able to handle the influx, but the city needs ongoing resources from federal and state governments," Acquario said.
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New York counties, like officials in other cities nationwide such as Denver, have consistently voiced the need for additional federal funding to adequately care for and manage the steady flow of asylum-seekers. In October, Acquario sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, requesting an extension of the Federal Impact Aid program to benefit migrants and asylees coming to the United States while the federal immigration system remains "broken."
"The large influx of migrants and asylees is a direct result of the federal government's unwillingness or inability to fix our outdated federal immigration laws," Acquario wrote. "The lack of action by federal officials to fix the broken immigration system has simply shifted the burden onto local governments and school districts across the nation. Congress must act, and if they can't or won't, then they need to expand the impact aid to be available to the local jurisdictions that are bearing the brunt of their inaction."
Earlier this month, the New York City Council unanimously passed Introductions 84 and 85, requiring Mayor Adams and his office to direct agencies to develop and administer workforce and health care related surveys, which will result in reports published in September 2025. The legislation, introduced by Council Member Carlina Rivera, aims to collect data on the economic challenges and opportunities for individuals seeking asylum, so city officials can better direct investments to community-based organizations doing certifications and training and facilitate connections to open roles as more migrants secure employment authorization.
"Similarly, a comprehensive survey and collection of anonymized data will help our public care systems respond and adapt to a changing landscape of needs and ensure we better understand barriers to securing quality insurance and health care," Edward Amador, spokesperson for Rivera, said.
However, the legislation will not lead to "any substantive changes to New York City's humanitarian response at this time," Amador added, though it could shape a more informed response in the future. As New York continues to grapple with these complex issues, the search for common ground and effective solutions remains a priority.
