New York City officials say total number of asylum seekers surpasses 150,000
NEW YORK -- New York City officials said Thursday that 3,800 new asylum seekers arrived last week, bringing the total to more than 150,000.
With Mayor Eric Adams forced to order painful budget cuts, the city is also seeking cost reductions.
Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom addressed reports that thousands of meals are being left uneaten.
"95% of the food that we have is being used. There's always going to be a little bit of waste, but we are doubling down, especially since we are really focused on cost," said Williams-Isom. "Are there places where maybe there's too many meals? Should we right size that? So we're looking very carefully about that because we take it very seriously."
Williams-Isom said Adams has asked her to cut the asylum seeker budget by 20%.