from
https://gothamist.com/news/criticized-over-nycs-delay-in-processing-migrants-mayor-adams-delivers-a-mic-drop

The mayor’s reaction reflected his frustration over a crisis that he has
increasingly asserted is not solely the city’s responsibility to fix.
More than 110,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the last year,
according to administration officials, straining the shelter system and
costing the city billions.

But as Adams pressures President Joe Biden to expedite the federal work
authorization process for migrants — a politically fraught process — the
mayor has opened himself up for criticism.

Early on, experts urged city officials to invest more time assisting
migrants with the asylum application process. Migrants have only one
year to apply for asylum with the federal government, after which they
must wait six months before they can be considered for a work permit.
And filling out the application is not easy. It consists of 12 pages,
all in English, and requires fees of more than $400.

Almost 60,000 migrants are staying in the city’s shelter system. To
date, less than 20% of them have applied for asylum so far, according to
City Hall. Less than 10% have applied for work permits.

At a briefing earlier this week, city officials said only a small
minority of migrants decline the asylum process when asked. They said
they did not know how many migrants had already missed their one year
deadline to apply.

Both Biden and Gov. Kathy Hochul, who are also facing criticism over
their response to the migrant crisis, have raised concerns that city
officials have not been doing enough to help migrants navigate the
asylum process.

A letter from the Biden administration earlier this month outlined
multiple areas where the city’s management of the migrant influx could
improve, including data collection and case management.

In a call with reporters on Tuesday, a senior Biden administration
official claimed a “critical mass” of migrants admitted to the country
under a special program are immediately eligible for work permits.

The next day, city officials announced an “expedited sprint” to identify
those individuals and said they had already begun conducting “in-depth,
in-person surveys” of adult migrants in the shelter system.

As of Tuesday, the city said it had completed 10,000 assessments.

Advocates on Thursday lashed back at the mayor’s response on the social
media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, arguing the city is
especially well-positioned to provide migrants with legal help.

“This is so silly, @NYCMayor,” posted Daniel Altschuler, of Make the
Road Action, an immigrant rights group. “NYC has pathbreaking
immigration legal services programs to help people apply for what they
need.”