NYC Mayor Adams wants to grant migrants working papers
New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends a Michael Kors fashion show during Fashion Week, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:03 PM PT – Wednesday, September 14, 2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed his support for giving thousands of illegal migrants in the city permission to work in the United States. During an interview on Tuesday with the National Press Club, Adams said he believes it is ‘imperative’ to give migrants legal access to employment.
Today @PressClubDC @ericadamsfornyc in conversation with @JenJudson pic.twitter.com/7ME9YZSXMq
— Bill McCarren (@mccarrennews) September 13, 2022
This comes as the process for people seeking permission to work in the United States takes about six months after an individual files an asylum application. Adams said that the federal government is expecting migrants to wait in the country for months without working.
“The strange this is, particularly in New York and across the country, there’s such a demand for a need of employees,” Adams said. “Many of my industries are dying to get employees. So, if you are a nurse from Venezuela, why am I having you sit down and be not using your medical profession to help in the hospitals that we are, 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-month delay is creating a bigger crisis.”
Adams went on to state that while illegal immigrants should be vetted before entering the country, there should be a pathway for them to receive housing and education.