New York City Council's top Republican lawmaker, Joe Borelli, testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security in Washington, DC, expressing his support for Mayor Eric Adams' decision to hold the Biden administration accountable for its handling of the migrant crisis. Borelli commended Adams for being one of the few elected officials in his party to openly criticize the open border policies of the White House and Secretary Mayorkas, stating that these policies have had a disastrous impact on New York City.

Although Borelli and the mayor may not agree on all issues related to the crisis, they both called on the federal government to step up and address the situation. Borelli dismissed the $140 million in federal aid earmarked for NYC, highlighting that the current expenditure rate of $10 million per day would only cover two weeks of sheltering migrants in the city. New York City is projected to spend nearly $12 billion on the migrant crisis by 2025, with thousands of new arrivals each week.

Borelli emphasized that the unexpected and unsustainable expenses incurred due to the crisis have compelled the mayor to consider cutting the city's budget by 15% by next spring, amounting to approximately $16 billion. He warned that such cuts could severely impact New York's economy, which is still recovering from the pandemic recession. Borelli cautioned that crime rates may increase, education may suffer, and there could be an increase in garbage on city streets.

In a moment of cross-party agreement, Borelli cited Mayor Adams' recent remarks at a town hall meeting, where he stated that the migrant crisis would destroy New York City. Borelli emphasized that these were not the words of right-wing politicians or political pundits but those of a Democratic mayor. Despite the city's plea for federal assistance to manage the crisis, little aid has been received thus far to offset the financial burden.

Borelli's testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security comes at a time when New York City is witnessing a surge of migrant families entering the city each week. The hearing, titled "The Financial Costs of Mayorkas' Open Borders," aims to examine the economic impact of the nationwide humanitarian crisis. Borelli will be joined by Jonathan Lines, the supervisor of Arizona's Yuma County, and an unnamed Democrat.

Currently, New York City is providing care for approximately 60,000 asylum seekers across more than 200 makeshift shelters throughout the five boroughs. City Hall estimates that the crisis could cost taxpayers around $12 billion between 2023 and 2025, placing significant strain on municipal resources. To continue providing shelter and services to recent arrivals, Mayor Adams has proposed potential budget cuts of up to 15% across all city agencies. Borelli looks forward to discussing these policies and their impact on New Yorkers and all Americans during the committee hearing.