New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, has thrown his support behind President Trump’s border security triumph, claiming it rescued the city from a migrant crisis that bled taxpayers dry.
Under the Biden administration, unchecked migration cost New Yorkers $7.7 billion over three years, a fiscal gut-punch that Adams says could have been avoided. His candid revelations on The Post’s podcast paint a picture of a city under siege and a federal government asleep at the wheel.
The New York Post reported that Adams, a Democrat now running as an independent, didn’t mince words about the chaos unleashed by Biden’s border policies.
The crisis, which saw 237,000 migrants flood New York City since 2022, strained the city’s budget and resources. This wasn’t just a policy hiccup—it was a full-blown disaster that siphoned funds from other critical needs.
Back in 2023, a line of migrants was spotted boarding buses in Eagle Pass, Texas, headed straight for New York City. By early 2025, desperate families, children, and even violent gang members queued outside Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel, a makeshift shelter. Adams watched as his city became a dumping ground for a federal failure.
The $7.7 billion price tag wasn’t pocket change—it carved a massive hole in the city’s discretionary spending. Adams told The Post’s Miranda Devine, “Seven billion of that went to the crisis. That just was not sustainable.” Progressives might cheer open borders, but New Yorkers paid the price for their idealism.
Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul pleaded with Biden to stem the migrant tide, meeting him personally to sound the alarm.
“Governor Hochul and I sat down and spoke with the president,” Adams said, noting Biden’s aides downplayed the crisis. Their assurances that everything was “under control” were laughably detached from reality.
Despite repeated meetings with Biden’s team, including top aide Tom Perez, the administration stonewalled. Adams’ frustration is palpable: “His team probably told him that everything was under control, when, in fact, everything was not under control.” The White House’s deaf ear left New York City to fend for itself.
The city scrambled to convert 100 hotels into emergency shelters as migrant arrivals peaked at 4,000 per week. Adams’ administration built a shelter system, educated 50,000 children, and provided food and housing—all while battling COVID-19’s aftermath. “This was an unbelievable achievement,” Adams said, though the strain was undeniable.
New York’s sanctuary and right-to-shelter laws tied Adams’ hands, forcing the city to accept every busload of migrants.
The city lacked the authority to offer jobs without federal legal status, leaving migrants dependent on strained resources. It’s a classic case of progressive policies sounding noble but crumbling under pressure.
Adams didn’t just face logistical nightmares—he believes his outspokenness triggered a political vendetta. He claims Biden’s subordinates targeted him with a corruption investigation, saying, “Yes, I do believe they 'put the order out' to prosecute him. The timing smells more like retaliation than justice.
Enter President Trump, whose border security measures slashed migrant arrivals to under 100 per week. “The Trump administration secured the border, and because of that, you’re not seeing the thousands of people coming in,” Adams told Devine. The contrast couldn’t be starker—Trump delivered where Biden floundered.
The corruption case against Adams? Tossed out by a federal judge after the Trump Justice Department declined to pursue it.
At a 2023 Al Smith dinner, Trump told Adams he’d been unfairly targeted, a rare moment of camaraderie across party lines. Vindication never felt so sweet.
Adams also defended ICE, calling it a legitimate federal agency and pledging cooperation to tackle dangerous individuals. “We have to stop classifying ICE as an illegal operation,” he said. This isn’t the woke talking point you’d expect from a Democrat, but Adams isn’t your typical politician.
The mayor’s pivot to praising Trump while slamming Biden’s failures shows a leader fed up with partisan games. His administration’s herculean efforts—sheltering thousands, educating kids, managing a crisis—deserve credit, not politically motivated indictments. Adams’s willingness to call out his own party’s failures is refreshingly honest.
Yet, the city’s sanctuary status and inability to control migrant buses highlight a deeper issue: local leaders are often handcuffed by federal inaction.
Adams’ story is a case study in how progressive ideals can backfire when they ignore practical realities. New Yorkers deserve better than being pawns in a border policy chess game.
