Friend,
New York and this nation are deep in this migrant crisis and no real solutions are at hand.
This issue in particular has fractured and divided the Democratic Party. This isn’t even a matter of Northeast liberals vs. conservative Southern Blue Dog Dems. New York City and its Democratic neighbor New Jersey have pursued two different policies. New Jersey has been reluctant to accept asylum-seekers, and in fact sends buses with migrants coming up from Texas to New York City. Democratic officials in New York City have been shouldering this influx, while Democratic county executives in other parts of the state, fearing political opposition, have been unwelcoming. New York’s governor also fears the political fallout and has chiefly focused on containing the migrants to New York City.
All the while, the Democratic administration in Washington has barely lifted a finger to address the fallout of the crisis they created.
I write about this issue in more detail in an op-ed published in The Hill. You can read it here.
To me, the Democratic Party, at its best, doesn’t deny problems, it solves them. It is ideologically driven, but also realistic. It is the “progressive” party because it actually makes progress.
If there is any hope of a solution, the party of progress needs to get on the same page.
As always, thank you for your support and your friendship,
Governor Andrew Cuomo
