Politics
Migrants in New York Have Become a Campaign Trope
The migrant crisis has emerged as a dominant theme in House races across New York State and even in the presidential race.
Good morning. It’s Tuesday. Today we’ll look at how the migrant crisis in New York City became a campaign issue that candidates from both sides of the aisle in the state are using to attract voters.
Credit…Anna Watts for The New York Times
New York City has long been a safe haven for migrants coming to America. It welcomed more than 210,000 asylum seekers in the past two years alone. But the mass arrival of newcomers from other countries has become a potent issue that politicians and hopeful candidates are looking to capitalize on.
Reporting by my colleague Luis Ferré-Sadurní determined that political fallout over the crisis has been a mainstay topic in competitive House races across the state, as well as on the presidential stage.
Republicans are citing the city as an example of disarray created by Democratic immigration policies. A congressman in the Hudson Valley during a debate earlier this month highlighted crimes committed by migrants, while other Republicans, desperate to maintain a House seat in central New York, have aired ads against Mayor Eric Adams featuring images of migrants sleeping on city sidewalks.
Democrats are adopting a stricter approach to border security in response. One Democratic candidate on Long Island vowed to secure the southern border because the suburbs were “feeling the migrant crisis almost every day” as a result of spillover from New York City.
