MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Mayor Eric Adams will be hosting a rally of his own Thursday to call for a way to expedite work authorizations for the influx of migrants coming into New York City.
Elected officials, labor union leaders and advocates are also expected at the rally that will be held at 9:45 a.m. in Foley Square. The event comes as some New Yorkers are pushing back against migrants being located in temporary shelter sites in their communities.
Protests have been held at a Staten Island Catholic school, Gracie Mansion and Floyd Bennett Field.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Adams are at odds as the mayor wants migrants sent elsewhere outside the five boroughs. Hochul has said no other New York county will take them as there is no legal framework mandating that like the city has.
Hochul will travel to the White House to with senior staffers about expediting work authorization.
"It is the only way to help asylum seekers become self-sustaining, so they can move into permanent housing," Hochul said in a statement. "I am especially pleased that the federal government has agreed to provide personnel, data, and resources to identify the thousands of individuals in New York who are already eligible, but have not yet applied, for work authorization."
A source in the White House told PIX11 News that money, housing vouchers, and education funds have all been provided to New York, legal migrants can immediately request to work and the 180-day waiting period to get work authorization for those who are seeking asylum needs to be changed by Congress, as it is current law.