Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ripped the federal government over the state’s ongoing migrant crisis, calling it the “worst government blunder.”
Cuomo spoke to congregants at the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx neighborhood to discuss the current issues local residents are facing. The former governor began by reflecting on the country’s current politics, criticizing the “division” and the “corrupt” state in which it is in. (RELATED: Dogged By Crime Concerns, Dems Walk Back Their Own Reforms Ahead Of 2024 Election)
“Look at what’s happening in the Middle East. You would say, look at our politics today. Look at the division that we have, look how dirty politics has gotten, how corrupt it has gotten, how mean spirited it’s gotten. Looking at the polarization, you have a far left and you have a far right and they can’t figure out how to come together and get things done,” Cuomo stated.
Cuomo then pivoted his attention to New York as he called out the state’s “migrant problem” by stating it’s the worst “blunder” he’s seen from the government his “entire life.” Cuomo stated that the issue begins with the federal government’s leadership as migrants have continued to be bused into the city from border states such as Texas.
“Look at New York. Look at the homeless problem. Look at the crime problem. Look at what’s going on in the subways. That’s what he [Mario Cuomo] would say. And then on top of it all, we now have a migrant problem,” Cuomo continued. “Because I’ve been in and out of government all my life. I served in the federal government with Bill Clinton. I’ve worked with David Dinkins attorney general, governor. This is the worst government blunder I have seen in my entire life!”
“You have the federal government, which is where it starts, it’s standing at the border with a sign that says, ‘Come to the United States of America and claim asylum.’ And two million people come. Of course, from Venezuela, Honduras, and Guatemala. They get to the border and they say, ‘Where do you want to go?’ And they say, ‘I want to go to New York.’ What are they going to say? I want to go to Nevada?”
“They get to New York — New York state says to them, ‘You can only go to New York City.’ Only New York City. Not the Hudson Valley, not upstate New York, not Long Island — only New York City. Why?” Cuomo questioned.
“Because politically for their politics, they want the problem in New York City and they don’t want the political problem in the rest of the state. But it makes no sense. Now New York City has over 100,000 migrants who have come to the city. And New York City has to provide the housing, the education, and the medical care. It makes no sense.”
NYC, notably a sanctuary city, has seen a significant rise in migrants with estimated numbers hitting over 150,000 in December 2023 under two years as the city has struggled to accommodate everyone, according to the New York Times. Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently vocalized that the city needed to “modify” their sanctuary law in order to allow authorities to deport illegal immigrants who commit a felony or violent act.
The state, led by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, announced in January that it would be devoting more than $2 billion from New York’s budget to help manage NYC’s migrant crisis as Adams has continued to ask for the federal government’s assistance.