A congressional delegation emerged from touring the migrant shelter at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel on Friday and ran headlong into protesters whose angry shouts all but drowned out the conversation. U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York asserted, “The American Dream will not be bullied into submission.”
Espaillat stood with fellow Democrats from several states, including Rep. Rob Menendez of New Jersey’s 8th District, as they tried to speak about what they saw inside, over the noise of protesters and as migrant families walked past.
“There is consensus here across geography and states on increased federal resources to cities and municipalities dealing with this issue,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), who also said the federal government should give migrants faster access to working papers so they can find jobs and support themselves.
Mayor Eric Adams has said New York City has spent $2 billion to house migrants and could spend another $5 billion this year. As the shouts of the protesters got louder, the delegation quickly dispersed. The protesters warned of dire consequences if the flood of migrants continues.
“Work authorization is what you’re going to hear about a lot,” Menendez said. “I do believe that’s an important part of it.”
