Biden increasingly under pressure from Democrats on migrant crisis: 'We are so frustrated'
Democrats are publicly and privately complaining of "mounting crises in their cities" as illegal immigrants continue to arrive in cities across the country, according to a new report.
"Publicly, the Democratic politicians have described mounting crises in their cities," The New York Times reported Thursday. "Privately, they are in almost daily contact with Tom Perez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and other administration officials."
The report continued: "For the most part they are not calling for the kind of severe border restrictions that Republicans are demanding, but they want help with overflowing migrant encampments, packed shelters and busted budgets."
"It’s both a humanitarian and fiscal crisis," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, told The Times. "We aren’t going to sit by and watch moms and 6-month-olds in tents on the streets in 10-degree weather. But by refusing to do that we are on the path to spend $180 million next year and could not do that either."
"As mayors we are so frustrated," Johnston added, claiming that the migrant crisis is "actually a solvable problem, if we had work authorization, federal dollars and a coordinated entry plan."
Other Democratic mayors and local officials across the country are also complaining about the Biden administration's lack of assistance in the migrant crisis. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said that the crisis was "international and federal," not local by nature.
"What we have is clearly an international and federal crisis that local governments are being asked to subsidize, and this is unsustainable," Johnson said during a CBS interview. "None of our local economies are positioned to be able to carry on such a mission."
Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said that her state needed more help from the federal government.
"States like Massachusetts are in desperate need of more support from the federal government to address this historic surge in migrant arrivals," Healey said. "We need Congress to act on President Biden’s budget that includes critical funding for border security and for cities and states like ours."