New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the deployment of an additional 150 National Guardsmen amid a worsening migrant crisis in the Empire State – but they will be responsible for helping Venezuelans apply for federal employment authorization, not protecting the border.
“It is critical that we help secure work authorization for asylum seekers and migrants in New York,” the Governor insisted. “We need to ensure individuals can navigate the paperwork necessary to get them established here so they can work and start making their American Dream a reality.”
The 150-strong deployment supplements the roughly 2,000 National Guard personnel already assigned to the migrant crisis. Guardsmen have had to be deployed to 51 hotels and two New York City Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers so far.
The new deployment follows Joe Biden’s recent decision to extend temporary protected status to around 475,000 Venezuelan migrants who entered the United States before July 31st, which will allow them to legally work in the country – likely incentivizing further illegal immigration.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose jurisdiction has been hit especially hard by the crisis, has called for increased state and federal funding and resources, estimating the cost of caring for migrants will surpass $12 billion within two years.
