CBS Mornings was in a tizzy on Tuesday after just 500 illegal immigrants were dropped off in their beloved New York City. Co-host Gayle Kind was floored that the city was forced to open a new facility that could house a whopping 3,000 people. King and the network’s shock at the “humanitarian crisis” showed just how divorced from reality they were since those numbers were just a drop in the bucket compared to what American border towns were stuck with.
King opened the segment by lamenting how liberal cities, which had been encouraging illegal immigration for years, were finally getting the stupid prize for the stupid game they’d been playing:
The U.S. is facing a humanitarian crisis over where to place migrants who are seeking asylum in this country. In New York City, a new center has just opened up on Randall’s Island. It's expected to house – listen to this number - up to 3,000 migrants. Other cities like Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago are also trying to manage an overwhelming number of new arrivals.
National correspondent Jericka Duncan clutched her pearls as she reported that “more than 500 migrants arrived in New York City on Sunday alone” and that the city “could spend upwards of $12 billion over three years without more help from the state.”
Opining about the crisis, Duncan declared, “it’s time to pay attention” since now “it is in these big cities the way that it is.”
Translation: Not in my backyard. The liberal media were fine with illegal immigration and open borders hurting American in border towns, but now that it’s in their big cities it’s a problem.
In the video portion of her report, Duncan put a lot of emphasis on the need to change federal law to let the “asylum seekers” work in America before they’re currently allowed to. And following the report, she and co-host Tony Dokoupil teamed up to demand just that:
DUNCAN: Obviously, as we were speaking the package the right to work. And what the Mayor was saying is there are 12,000 jobs right now he's hoping people would apply for in the city. And that is the migrants contributing to the economy as opposed to this long process where it takes forever to get the work permit.
(…)
DOKOUPIL: It’s really hard – in the absence of being able to work, if you ride the subway in New York City, if you’re visiting New York City recently, you see migrants trying to do whatever job they can; selling candy, selling drinks. The only solution here is clearly a federal one. Federal law needs to be changed so people can work…
Interestingly, Duncan also highlighted the hilarious feud between Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul as they blamed each other for how they were mishandling their crisis. Of course, Duncan failed to mention they’re both Democrats and the fact that New York declared itself a sanctuary city.
CBS’s sudden determination to fix the border crisis because it’s now hurting them was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from The Farmer’s Dog and Ford. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Mornings
August 22, 2023
7:30:22 a.m. EasternGAYLE KING: The U.S. is facing a humanitarian crisis over where to place migrants who are seeking asylum in this country. In New York City, a new center has just opened up on Randall’s Island. It's expected to house – listen to this number - up to 3,000 migrants. Other cities like Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago are also trying to manage an overwhelming number of new arrivals.
Our national correspondent Jericka Duncan spoke with the mayor of New York City about how to handle the situation. A lot of people feel it's out of control here all right.
JERICKA DUNCAN: It truly is and we’ve seen more of that over the last year. You know, the mayor we sat down with, Eric Adams predicts the city could spend upwards of $12 billion over three years without more help from the state.
More than 500 migrants arrived in New York City on Sunday alone, and last week we spoke with some of them who say they are simply looking for a better life.
[Cuts to video]
Around 6:00 A.M., two buses with dozens of migrants pull into the heart of New York City. Marjory Tovar came in from Venezuela and said she's happy to be here, “happy because got gave me the opportunity to arrive here with my daughters.”
The National Guard directs them to an intake center, roughly 20 minutes away on foot.
(…)
DUNCAN: Since spring of last year, New York City officials say they provided shelter and care for over 100,000 asylum seekers. On Randall’s Island is where you'll find the latest center to open, with rows of cots, a place to shower, and a dining area. Mayor Eric Adams says it's expected to house up to 3,000 people.
Is this a sign of progress or speak to the humanitarian crisis your city is facing in.
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY): This is not a sign of progress. This is a sign of a crisis, the greatest – I believe - humanitarian crisis this city has ever witnessed.
(…)
DUNCAN: The city has demanded help from the state. In response, last week an attorney for New York Governor Kathy Hochul sent a scathing letter to a judge as part of a legal proceeding. In part, she raised concerns about the mayor's handling of the migrant crisis.
The state alleges that you didn't share information promptly, you all did not implement programs in a timely manner. She says you’ve turned away opportunities to house thousands of migrants.
ADAMS: When we looked at the analysis about the 12 spaces they gave us, some of them were in floodplain areas, some were not suitable to build in.
DUNCAN: On top of that, Mayor Adams said there's another complicated issue at play. The right to work. Legally migrants must wait six months after they’ve applied for asylum before they are eligible for work permits. And due to backlogs, the wait could take years.
What specifically can you do to address that issue of migrants not being able to work?
ADAMS: We're going to do duality of calling for, rightfully, the resources for the city. Even something as simple as calling a state of emergency. If the president does that, it would allow us to get resources.
DUNCAN: According to current and former senior U.S. officials and internal documents, the White House has been reluctant to push ahead policy changes because of legal risks, political optics, and spike in border crossings.
The White House emphasized, in a statement to CBS News, it’s commitment to working with cities. But said, ultimately Congress needs to approve additional funding.
What would you say to president Biden if he's listening right now?
ADAMS: The precursor to sleep to enjoy the American dream is the right to work. The right to work. Let them work.
DUNCAN: That is what Yasen Silva who fled Colombia is hoping for. “I really want to work. I pray to God a lot for this. I beg to every person I speak with to help me.”
[Cuts back to live]
The Mayor's office told us any threats against migrants are unacceptable and all housing sites do have AC and viable shower options. And while the situation is not ideal, the city is, quote, “out of good options and even okay options.” In response to the Mayor's claim that housing sites the state offered were not suitable to build in, the Governor's office says it's confident those locations could be made operational.
So many issues at stake. Obviously, as we were speaking the package the right to work. And what the Mayor was saying is there are 12,000 jobs right now he's hoping people would apply for in the city. And that is the migrants contributing to the economy as opposed to this long process where it takes forever to get the work permit.
I mean, listen, decades upon decades we've been talked about it. But now that it is in these big cities the way that it is, it’s time to pay attention.
TONY DOKOUPIL: It’s really hard – in the absence of being able to work, if you ride the subway in New York City, if you’re visiting New York City recently, you see migrants trying to do whatever job they can; selling candy, selling drinks.
The only solution here is clearly a federal one. Federal law needs to be changed so people can work or you need to speed up the asylum process so judges can review cases. But again, that’s a federal fix.
DUNCAN: The legal process is another point.
DOKOUPIL: It's multi-year that they're here and they can't work, it's going to be a big drain on resources.
(…)
