If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
A second migrant died by suicide in the New York City shelter system in recent days as the Big Apple braces for another resurgence of asylum seekers with the upcoming expiration of Title 42.
Mayor Eric Adams said the city expects at least 1,000 more migrants arriving per week with the expiration of the federal immigration policy, warning it might be forced to slash public services.
On Monday, the Democrat admitted such an influx of migrants could impact “public safety,” in addition to already costing the city hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in clothing, food, housing and education.
“It is alarming. It is. And New Yorkers need to be aware of what we are up against. And I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’m not going to give the impression that this new influx is not going to impact our basic services,” Adams said Monday. “And so when you say, ‘Which service?” Look at every service we provide. Every service we provide is going to be impacted by the influx of migrants in our city. It’s going to impact education. It’s going to impact the dollars we’re using to clean our streets. It’s going to impact our public safety. It’s going to impact our helping those long-term New Yorkers who are in need.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during U.S. Africa leaders Summit at Department of State in Washington, Monday, Dec. 12, 2022.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WNBC first reported Monday that a second migrant died by suicide in the New York City shelter system.
Citing law enforcement sources and sources in the city’s aid community, the outlet said a 26-year-old man from Venezuela died by suicide in a Queens shelter last Wednesday.
The man has come to New York with a child and the child’s mother. His partner found him in a bathroom, and the man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Unlike the first migrant death by suicide in September, Adams has not yet addressed the second publicly.
A spokesperson for the city Department of Social Services described the second death as “absolutely heartbreaking.”
Migrants arriving from Del Rio, Texas, get off a bus at Port Authority in Manhattan on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.
(Josephine Stratman/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“We recognize the very unique challenges asylum seekers are facing and we remain committed to continuing to build on our ongoing efforts and interagency coordination to connect these families and individuals to mental health supports as we help them stabilize their lives in a new country,” DSS spokeswoman Neha Sharma said in a statement obtained by the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ office and DSS for added comment.
A 32-year-old migrant woman died by suicide in September at a shelter in Hollis, Queens, when she reportedly used a chord to hang herself in a bathroom. Relatives told the N.Y. Daily News at the time that the woman struggled with depression after being separated from her husband at the border.
In response to the migrant mother’s death, Adams had placed blame on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “for creating this man-made humanitarian crisis” – not city employees – and claimed the Republican was putting migrants on “multi-day bus rides” without the proper “basic necessities.”
Migrants arriving from Del Rio, Texas, are pictured at Port Authority in Manhattan on Monday, Dec. 19, 2022.
(Josephine Stratman/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Abbott’s spokeswoman shot back, asserting in a statement to Fox News Digital at the time that Adams was “flat-out lying and selectively attacking Texas’ busing operation, while conveniently ignoring migrants bused into New York City by Democrat-led El Paso and flown by President Biden.“
A recent analysis published Thursday by the New York City comptroller’s office projected the city budget needing to allocate an additional $1 billion per year through 2026 on migrant expenditures if no alternative plan for funding is worked out with the state or the federal government. On Sunday, Adams claimed that “both Republicans and Democrats” in Congress “have refused to lift a finger.”
At an unrelated press event Monday, Adams said his administration has had a number of conversations with the state and has met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from New York, in recent days regarding the expiration of Title 42.
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“I’ve never been more frustrated now. This is a national problem,” Adams said. “El Paso shouldn’t be going through this. Chicago shouldn’t be going through this. Washington, Houston, cities should not be carrying the weight of a national problem. This is unfair to all of our cities to have to go through this without any help from the national government and the state government. And so we are building out that which is within our span of control, but we need help from the federal and state government to assist us.”
He listed all Democratically run cities, most of which in the past claimed to be sanctuary destinations.
