Mayor Eric Adams wants to grant working papers immediately to some of the migrants that have found themselves crossing into New York to call it home.
Adams says they have a desperate demand for workers after the Covid-19 pandemic swept across their state.
“I think it’s imperative that we look at the employment. Think about this for a moment. We’re telling migrants and asylum seekers, ‘You can come to the country but for six months you can’t work.’ What? Six months you can’t work,” Adams said during a sit-down interview Tuesday in Washington DC with Jen Judson.
“So six months you are having people who just sit idly by, waiting. So who’s supposed to pick up the tab for that? If the federal government is saying that for six months you can’t work, then the federal government should be saying for six months we are going to compensate you. Because someone has to pay for that,” the mayor added.
Migrants seeking permission to work in the United States have to apply for employment authorization with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This process can take up to six months after an individual files their asylum application.
Adams did not specify whether he would favor city jobs or private sector jobs for migrants. However, a City Hall rep said, “City officials have asked the White House to cut the red tape surrounding federal work authorization laws.”
Right now, the unemployment rate in the five boroughs is 6.1%, nearly double the national average set at 3.7%.
But the city has been struggling to convince workers to return to the office, as remote work during the pandemic became a favored option.
Adams himself is struggling to attract city employees, the Independent Budget Office reported there’s an 8% vacancy rate across city agencies as of June 30.
But a City Council hearing last Friday revealed in some agencies that number jumps to around 20%.
It was reported the city received a waiver for private attorneys to work pro bono to help fill a shortage of city lawyers.
“The strange thing is, particularly in New York and across the country, there’s such a demand for, a need of employees. Many of my industries are dying to get employees,” said Adams. “So if you are a nurse from Venezuela, why am I having you sit down and not be using your medical profession to help in the hospitals that we have a shortage of nurses. If you are an engineer, we have a shortage of engineers. If you are a teacher, we have a shortage of teachers, bilingual teachers. So that six months delay is creating a bigger crisis.”
Since May, around 10,000 individuals have arrived in New York City from the southern border, the latest tally according to City Hall on Tuesday.
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