Protesters interrupted Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to voice out their frustrations over its handling of illegal immigrants overwhelming The Big Apple.
Speaking to New Yorkers about the immigration crisis on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez and the city’s congressional delegation discussed how they would deal with the situation.
“The first is that there is consensus here across geography and states on increasing federal resources to cities and municipalities dealing with this issue. The second is to allow for work authorizations so that the folks in here can get to work and start supporting themselves as soon as possible,” she said.
“They’re prevented from getting jobs, they’re prevented from employment, and that is part of the strain on our public systems.”
That’s when angry citizens entered the scene and shouted down the congresswoman. Demonstrators shouted, “Close the border!” repeatedly.
“Ultimately, I think there are three points of consensus here that are very important in getting a solution to this issue,” Ocasio-Cortez rebutted the protesters.
Since the Biden administration lifted “Title 42” earlier this year, the number of illegal border crossers has increased to an all-time high. According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 2.4 million migrants were detained at the border for the fiscal year ending in September, surpassing the already-historic number of 1.7 million migrant detainees in 2021.
In New York, around 100,000 men, women, and children seeking refuge have arrived in the Big Apple, with more than 57,000 people residing in 198 emergency shelters across the five boroughs.
Locals are suffering as they have to pay the bill in order to accommodate the illegal immigrants occupying the city. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams recently announced that the city will be spending $20 million more to handle the migrant crisis.
“We are past our breaking point,” Adams said. “With more than 57,300 individuals currently in our care on an average night, it amounts to $9.8 million a day, almost $300 million a month and nearly $3.6 billion a year.”
The decision was met with pushback from local officials, especially Democratic State Gov. Kathy Hochul, who slammed the mayor for failing to handle the illegal immigrants coming in from the southern border.
