New York City can solve its immigrant shelter crisis alone

New York City is asking Congress for a bailout to help cover the cost of sheltering immigrants. The city blames outdated court decisions for its “hotel rooms for all” policy, but since 2017, the city has relaxed its shelter rules specifically for asylum-seekers, leading to much higher costs than required by any court.

The problem is that the city treats denying someone a hotel room that will cost taxpayers $10,000 per month or more as if it were the equivalent of deporting refugees to their deaths. This is not a reasonable position. The country can welcome immigrants without giving them not just access but preferential access to government-provided benefits.