85 percent of New York City voters concerned about accommodating migrants: poll

An overwhelming majority of New York City voters are concerned about accommodating migrants, according to a new poll.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that 85 percent of New York City voters are either very concerned or somewhat concerned that the city will not be able to accommodate the surge in migrants who have sought sanctuary in the city. City officials have been sounding the alarm on the migrant crisis for months, warning that they do not have the resources to meet the demand.

In addition, 62 percent of voters said they agreed with New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s statement from September, where he said that an influx of migrants will “destroy” the city. Another 33 percent said they disagreed.

Adams has been arguing for months that the federal government is not doing enough to support New York City as it deals with a growing number of migrants. The poll found that New York City voters agree, with 80 percent saying the federal government should do more. 

Eight percent said the federal government is doing the right amount and six percent said it is doing too much, according to the poll.

“In a city where the words ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ are embedded in its history, voters express there’s a limit,” Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Mary Snow said in a statement.

“An overwhelming number of them worry the city doesn’t have the capacity to welcome the surge of migrants that have been arriving in New York since the spring of 2022. And they near unanimously agree that the federal government isn’t doing enough to help New York City,” she added.

The city has seen a sharp increase in migrants over the last year, especially as Republican governors moved to send migrants to Democratic-led cities throughout the U.S.

New York City has received about $140 million in federal funding for shelters, which is more than any other city not on the southwest border. The White House told New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in August that it cannot send more federal assistance to the state, blaming congressional hurdles for the inability.