The large influx of asylum-seekers into New York City could cost the city close to hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to a new assessment.
The city’s mayor, Eric Adams, has reported 23,800 asylum-seekers have arrived since early November, “in most cases looking to escape economic and civil unrest in their home countries — Venezuela in particular.”
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A report from the city’s Independent Budget Office determined the yearly cost could be at least $596 million in public funds. The office estimates that $580 million will be tied directly to the number of asylum-seekers already in the city, going toward shelter stays, public school costs, immigration legal assistance, and health services.
The office acknowledged in the report that the total cost of city services cannot be “estimated with certainty” due to the fluctuation of immigrants entering and leaving the city.
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var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_68456328", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1184710"} }); ","_id":"00000184-77ef-d5ff-a7af-7fff49680000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video Embed”The arrival of an additional 10,000 asylum seekers—assuming the current mix of households remains consistent—would increase costs by around $246 million,” wrote IBO acting Director George Sweeting.
Shelter
Costs per person/household can range from $1,900 for an individual not using the city’s shelter system but receiving basic health and legal services to $93,000 for a family of four using city shelters, enrolling two children in school, and using health and legal services, per the report.
As of Oct. 31, over 15,400 asylum-seekers were living in shelters operated by New York City’s Department of Homeland Services, which includes 2,800 families with minor children and a total of nearly 7,300 households.
The office estimated the annual shelter costs per household alone to be around $50,000 for an individual, $63,000 for families of related adults, and $69,000 for families with minor children.
“Absent any new federal or state intervention, IBO estimates that most, if not all, of these shelter costs will be funded through city funds,” Sweeting wrote.
Education
IBO estimated $48 million will go toward education for asylum-seeking families with children enrolled in public school. At the end of October, the city allocated $12 million to schools with newly enrolled six or more students that live in temporary housing, adding to funding already distributed from the Fair Student Funding formula, according to the report.
The Fair Student Funding per student starts with a base of $4,197 for kindergarten through grade 5, $4,533 for grades six through eight, and $4,323 for grades nine through 12. IBO estimated Fair Student Funding for asylum-seeking families with children would be around $6,240.
Health and legal services
Basic health services, factoring in staffing, equipment, and administration, could cost around $1,500 per person, IBO reported.
“To the extent that some of these individuals and families lacked access to consistent and quality medical care prior to arriving in New York City, and may be arriving with acute physical and mental health needs, they may require health services beyond the basic primary care included in this estimate,” the report said.
Overall, IBO estimated health-related services would cost the city $42 million over one year, based on the 23,400 asylum-seekers in the city at this point.
Additionally, legal services may cost the city $2.38 million, following the cost of $100 per interaction as basic legal assistance provided by the city.
While the city typically spends around $2,600 to provide free legal representation, “advocates and legal non‐profit groups estimate, however, that $3,200 per case or higher is a more accurate accounting of the cost, based upon estimates cited in past budget negotiations for expanding deportation defense services,” the report said.
If the 8,300 households in the city’s Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center and Department of Homeless Services shelters were provided legal representation, it would cost the city an estimated $22 million to 27 million as a mix of public and private charitable funds.
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Adams declared a state of emergency for New York City in October amid a push by red state governors, including Greg Abbott (R-TX), to transport immigrants to liberal enclaves in a bid to draw attention to what they say is a crisis at the border.
“This is a humanitarian crisis that started with violence and instability in South America and is being accelerated by American political dynamics,” Adams had said at the time. “Thousands of asylum-seekers have been bused into New York City and simply dropped off, without notice, coordination, or care — and more are arriving every day.”
