More than 7,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City in last 2 weeks, mayor's office says
NEW YORK -- Officials say another surge of asylum seekers have arrived in New York City.
According to Mayor Eric Adams' office, more than 7,000 have gone through the intake system just in the last two weeks, and the city expects that number to intensify.
During the early morning hours on Wednesday, four-buses filled with asylum seeker families arrived at the Port Authority from Philadelphia after a plane from Texas to New York carrying them was diverted there due to weather.
"From Texas, we flew to Philadelphia and then took a bus here," asylum seeker Lessie Hernandez said.
READ MORE: Plane carrying migrants from Texas to New York diverted to Philadelphia, city says
CBS New York spoke to Hernandez, her husband, and their two daughters. They were processed at the Roosevelt Hotel intake site in Midtown, Manhattan on Wednesday. They said they were given a map, MetroCards, and an address to an emergency shelter outside of the city.
"We do what we can and we have to make sacrifices for a better future," Hernandez said.
City officials believe this is the latest tactic by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to send asylum seekers to major cities, but for many of them, fleeing their country for safety is their reality.
The Hernandez family, who are originally from Colombia, said their parents were murdered, prompting them to move to Venezuela.
"In Venezuela, there's no form of living, so we decided to come over here," Hernandez said.
READ MORE: New York Legal Assistance Group, advocates for asylum seekers in NYC, face looming budget cuts
According to the city's Department of Social Services, more than 157,600 asylum seekers arrived in New York City since last spring in need of shelter and more 67,000 remain in the city's care, with hundreds more arriving every day.
The city said 7,200 asylum seekers have gone through the intake system just in the last two weeks.
Mayor Adams held a news conference Wednesday afternoon about the humanitarian crisis with a coalition of cities and announced an executive order so migrants can arrive in an orderly and safe way.
"I'm announcing an executive order requiring charter buses transporting migrants, those often contracted by the state of Texas, to provide 32-hour notice in advance of their arrival into New York City," Adams said.
"We're really saying to bus operators and companies, do not participate in Gov. Abbott's actions," Adams added.
"The rogue buses and now chartered flights are not only unsafe, but it is inhumane," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
READ MORE: New York City officials say total number of asylum seekers surpasses 150,000
Josh Goldfein, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society, applauded what the Adams' administration is trying to do.
"It make sense the city would try to prevent people from being harmed by being abandoned when they're not ready for what they're coming to," Goldfein said.
When asked how the city should enforce the executive order to make sure the asylum seekers are not inadvertently penalized, Goldfein said, "The city should be doing more to welcome people and get them on their way as soon as possible. But, at a minimum, it could receive the bus in a way that people can quickly be moved from the bus they've been on for a couple days to a city office, where they can be assessed."
So far, New York City has opened 214 emergency shelters across the five boroughs and announced 5% budget cuts across all city agencies to help house asylum seekers, but the city is growing desperate and continues to call on its federal and state partners for support.
In the meantime, the Hernandez family and others who came to the U.S. with just the clothes on their backs say they heard about the influx of asylum seekers in New York City, but still wanted to come to work and contribute to the economy.
"What we want to do is try to find a job, but immigration office tells us we can't work. But how are we going to live here if we can't work?" Hernandez said.
A new shelter is set to open in Brooklyn as early as next week and is expected to house 400 adult asylum seekers.
The 60-day shelter limit for families is also coming up. Those families will have to re-apply for a new place.
CBS New York reached out the Gov. Abbott for comment and received the following statement from spokesperson Renae Eze:
"With millions of residents, New York is only dealing with a fraction of what Texas small-border communities deal with on a day-to-day basis. Instead of complaining about 32,000 migrants sent from Texas, Mayor Adams should be calling out his party leader, President Biden, who has been flying planeloads of migrants all around the country and oftentimes in the cover of night. Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis," Eze said.