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Representative Adriano Espaillat Urges Increased Federal Funding to Address Influx of Asylum Seekers to New York City
Watch Espaillat's Remarks on the House Floor
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) delivered the following remarks on the U.S. House floor to urge for increased federal funding and support to address the influx of asylum seekers to New York City.
The following are remarks by Rep. Espaillat, as prepared for delivery:
"Mr./Madame Speaker, I rise today with an urgent call for increased federal action to address the ongoing influx of asylum seekers. Since Spring 2022, New York City has welcomed over 110,000 migrants and has opened over 200 emergency shelter sites to house them.
"This Friday, I will lead a congressional delegation to New York City to visit several of these shelter sites so my colleagues can see up close and personal the situation at hand. The purpose of my Member trip is to show how New York City has risen to the occasion to care for its newest arrivals, while making clear—we need more federal help.
"This fiscal year, DHS has given New York City $145 million dollars to provide shelter and services for asylum seekers. But New York City is incurring costs of almost $10 million dollars per day to provide basic needs for these new arrivals—which will, in total, cost the city $12 billion over the next two years.
"I am leading a letter calling on Congress to swiftly authorize $3 billion dollars in emergency funding to assist cities across the nation that continue to receive and house asylum seekers. And, I continue to call on my congressional colleagues and the Biden Administration to provide expedited work authorization to new migrants—including by redesignating Venezuelans for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), amongst other measures.
"Our nation’s newest immigrants do not want to rely on the government—they want to work to support their families—and we must let them! Ladies and gentlemen, this is a pivotal moment for our nation, and Congress must address the crisis at hand with compassion and humanity as we reaffirm there is room for all who seek the American dream. I yield."
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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.
Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]
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