Cracks are evident in the wall – and no, I don’t mean the wall on our southern border. Democrats are in disarray, and some of them are finally realizing that there are other issues besides abortion and transgender rights, that some of those other issues may have cost them a lot of seats, and that they need to reevaluate some of their positions. One of those Democrats, at least on the issue of illegal immigration, is New York Mayor Eric Adams, who has expressed cautious optimism about President-elect Trump’s intentions Border security and immigration:
At a briefing on Tuesday, Adams told reporters he was hopeful about the fresh Trump administration’s commitments to secure the southern border to stem the ongoing influx of asylum seekers that has flooded the Big Apple and other U.S. cities over the past two years have.
“I am ready to work with this administration, just as I tried to work with the previous administration,” Adams said in his statement. “I hope this government hears what I’m saying and listens to some of the ideas I’ve been pushing for almost two years.”
Adams, a Democrat, was among the most vocal members of his party criticizing the Biden administration’s immigration policies. He said he had been to Washington, D.C., at least 10 times to seek additional funds and government support, but came back empty-handed.
“We can’t expect this to continue, not down the road but into the cities,” he said Tuesday. “Our immigration system is a failure, and in fact it is an embarrassment, and we need to do a better job.”
He is not wrong in any of his statements in the last paragraph. And given that President-elect Trump’s fresh border czar may feel some relief if New York works with the administration rather than against it.
See related: Change is happening brisk: NYC Mayor Adams takes major immigration action after phone call with Trump
New York judge rejects lawsuit and allows Texas to continue sending illegal immigrants and asylum seekers
New York has actually suffered from the Harris/Biden administration’s non-existent border controls:
New York City has seen an influx of more than 223,000 asylum seekers in the past two years, while the U.S.-Mexico border has seen a historic augment in immigration. Many of them were bused to New York from Texas and other border states to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
According to the Adams administration, the city spent $1.45 billion on migrant costs in fiscal year 2023 and expects to spend $10 billion on migrants over the next two fiscal years. Almost 60,000 migrants are currently being cared for by the city and are receiving shelter, food and other essentials.
That’s a lot of the Big Apple’s tax dollars being used to support people who have no business being here. But we hasten to note that New York is a sanctuary – shouldn’t they welcome these people? Shouldn’t they be elated to feed and house them? At least Mayor Adams is getting fed up.
Still, there appears to be little enthusiasm for changing sanctuary city status. Tom Homan, the proposed border czar – who does not require Senate confirmation – has made his stance very clear: Work with me or get out of my way.
“If you don’t want to help us, get the hell out of our way,” Tom Homan urged cities like New York whose leaders have been unwilling to lend a hand deport migrants — even those who have committed crimes .
“If we don’t get help from New York City, we may have to double the number of agents we send,” Homan said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” Monday morning. “We will do the job with you or without you,” he warned, arguing that current policies are negatively impacting everyone involved.
It’s going to be intriguing, at least for the next few years, and here’s what could make this a real eye-opener: If the second Trump administration is successful at this, if they can remove even a portion of the illegal immigrants who They are because they cause so many problems in the country’s major cities, they could well secure a Republican majority for some time. Success, as someone once said, is the best revenge, and in this second, non-consecutive attempt, Donald Trump seems determined to close the border, keep it closed, and let people who shouldn’t fit in the country, out of the country.
Mayor Adams seems to be able to read the writing on the wall. He hasn’t made the whole trip yet, and it’s not like we can expect him to suddenly be wearing a red MAGA hat. But his concession to reality on this issue may well cause him to rethink his hometown’s value as a sanctuary city – and perhaps some other big city mayors and, more importantly, voters will begin to think along the same lines.
