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NEW YORK GOV. HOCHUL CONSIDERING 'UNPRECEDENTED' WORK AUTHORIZATION FOR MIGRANTS
AMID MASSIVE INFLUX

A fifth of migrants in the city's care filed asylum applications, Hochul said.

By
Aaron Katersky
and
Mark Crudele
September 13, 2023, 4:59 PM ET
• 3 min read

UNHEARD: Migrants struggle to secure the American DreamMichelle left Colombia
last year to seek her American dream but has faced challenges from not having a
job and stable housing as the migrant crisis continues in New York City.John
Lamparski/Getty Images

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering "unprecedented" legislation that would
have the state issuing work authorization for asylum seekers arriving by
unyielding busloads from southern border states.

Hochul said she is talking to state Assembly and Senate leaders about what the
bill would look like and whether it would be debated in a special session of the
legislature or whether it could wait until lawmakers return to Albany in a few
months.



"I spoke about this at the White House. I said I may do something at the state
level," Hochul said. "This would be unprecedented."


Dozens of migrants are seen arriving from Texas at the Port Authority Bus
Terminal on Sept. 6, 2023, in New York.Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News
via Getty Images

The governor said her lawyers are discussing whether the state would need the
federal government to sign off before any new law could take effect.

MORE: Migrants in NYC fight for American dream amid struggle for stability

The Biden administration said there is already a "critical mass" of migrants
able to obtain work permits but too few have applied.

"There's a critical mass that we are confident are eligible to apply for work
authorization immediately," a senior administration official said during a call
with reporters.



Hochul disputed it.

"I don't know what a critical mass is. I don't think it's a high number," the
governor said.

The mayor's office said about a fifth of migrants in the city's care have filed
asylum applications. The figure does not include those getting legal help from
the nonprofit sector.

A spokesperson said the city is surveying all asylum seekers currently in its
shelters to "determine who is eligible to apply for work authorization right
now."

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom called the
proposal "innovative."

She said the city consistently hears from private business that "having a permit
to work, I think, that would be one of the biggest solutions to get out of the
humanitarian crisis we find ourselves in."

Hochul said the state has no choice but to look into the feasibility of
state-issued work permits, while acknowledging it would require federal
approval.

"We are at a situation where the status quo will not hold any longer," she said,
saying she tells the White House on near daily calls, "it's a federal problem,
we need your help, do something."

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