You could not blame Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams, or anyone else, if -- as they remember the economic boom and global calm of the pre-Covid America of President Donald Trump -- they were to cast their secret ballot in November for more of the "Trump Boom."
US President Joe Biden's disastrous Open Border policy has turned "sanctuary cities" into unrecognizable migrant camps, and New York City is at ground zero of this crisis. More than 110,000 migrants have been left off on Manhattan streets, more than twice as many as cities such as Los Angeles and Houston.
Remember when self-proclaimed "Sanctuary Martha's Vineyard" would not accept even 50?
Not surprisingly, the New York mayor's poll numbers have plunged as New Yorkers of all stripes looked at what the city has become, reportedly finding his management of the issue pathetic. The problem is twofold. It was not Adams who created the problem, and when he looked to Washington for financial help, he came away with the warning, "the cavalry isn't coming."
The impact on New York City from the "Biden border crisis" is, on one hand, incalculable regarding the destruction of its quality of life. On the other hand, you can calculate down to the dollar what it is costing New York. Adams has told every city department commissioner that there will be the need for $4 billion in budget cuts over the next 18 months to close an even larger $7.1 billion gap expected in 2024. Every agency, from the police department to the parks, will be impacted. These cuts harm the very fabric of the city's ability to function, yet the Biden administration does not seem to have any intention of providing economic aid for a crisis of its making.
Although we are a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. Virtually every one of us is the descendant of immigrants who risked everything to come to this country. Most came with a handful of currency and the name of some distant relative who would vouch for them. We recognize the enormous power that came from the collective energies of so many wishing to call themselves Americans, but that did not come about from an "open border" policy that now leaves our nation's cities picking up the tab and, worse, that potentially leaves the country open to terrorism from migrants who are not able to be checked or from the 1.6 million "gotaways" -- that we know about. It took only 19 terrorists on 9/11 to bring down the World Trade Center, in an attack that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Many involved in our government, including presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are alarmed. Trump, for instance, has said that if he wins his bid to become president, he would make addressing this crisis as one of his "day one" priorities. He, among many others, recognizes the difference between immigrant patriotism and border pandemonium. Many American politicians, encountering furious taxpayers, "terrible" poll numbers, "frightening" deficits, and serious national security threats, appear to view this as a problem that needs immediately to be addressed.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
Christine Carr