By Shlomie Katash
As New York buckles under the mounting pressures of a worsening migrant crisis, some of the state’s politicians have advocated for a change in the law that would expedite the process for asylum seekers applying for work permits. Such a shift would be a virtually unprecedented alteration to a power typically reserved for the federal government, but some claim it is a necessary response to the growing challenges presented.
Corresponding with deteriorating economic conditions in Latin American countries, such as Venezuela, New York City has seen an influx of over 100,000 migrants since the spring of 2022. The surge, combined with the city’s legal obligation to house anyone who requests shelter, has led to NYC reeling from a record high homeless shelter population and an estimated $12 billion price tag to address the crisis over the next three years.
According to state leaders, the burden is partly caused by slow federal response times and undue barriers on the process. Even after someone applies for asylum, which usually takes three to four years to be fully reviewed, they cannot apply for temporary employment authorization for another 150 days, forcing them to remain in temporary housing without the prospect of gaining a legitimate job. Some officials have criticized the federal government for their inaction during the crisis, with even NYC Mayor Eric Adams urging “the state and federal government to step up” in a recent news conference, according to The New York Times.
Governor Kathy Hochul and other New York lawmakers have explored the possibility of heeding the mayor’s call with the potential of expanding the state’s power to place the work permit granting process in their purview. While Hochul has yet to commit to any particular path forward, two bills have been introduced by prominent legislators in the New York State Assembly. The first, from Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, would reduce the 150-day timeline to within 45 days, while the second, brought forward by Assemblywoman Jessica Rajkumar, authorizes the state’s Department of Labor to issue work permits.
For either of these bills to be passed in the near future, a special session in Albany would have to be called ahead of its planned opening in January 2024. However, there has been little indication of a desire to do so from either the governor or state leaders, in part because no consensus has been reached on the preferred plan of action.
“Of course, I can call [a special session] at any time, but it has to be a certain objective,” Hochul said, according to City & State New York. “I want to make sure it’s going to be successful […] I’m not here to say and share with you that a decision has been made, because one has not.”
There would have to be a willingness to call an emergency session and consensus on what bill would be passed before a decision can be made.