Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Appears on NY1's "Inside City Hall" With U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat

February 7, 2023

Kevin Frey: We'll start with you, Congressman. Why invite this guy?

U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat: The mayor has been a fighter for the City of New York, and we got to hear from the President, believe the President is doing a great job. But New York City still needs to help. So the mayor is here, he wanted to come and I extended the invitation. I think it's the right thing to do.

Frey: What exactly do you want to hear from the president tonight in terms of New York City priorities, mayor?

Mayor Eric Adams: Well, really what the Congressman has been saying over and over again, working class New York is and working-class Americas. And really, we know that our working class New Yorkers are the backbone of not only our city but the entire country. And although we are seeing an impressive increase in employment among some Americans, Black and brown Americans are still really having an issue. And I want to hear how we're going to mobilize and energize that base so they can also pursue the American dream.

Frey: What about you?

U.S. Representative Espaillat: Well, I want to hear the steps forward. Unemployment is down and inflation, although stubborn, seems to be easing up a little bit. We want to translate that into real gains for the neighborhoods that I represent. Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx. They got to have a piece of the pie too. So I want to hear what's the strategy to make sure that that happens.

Frey: Mr. Mayor, you have, over the last month and a half or so, really been amping up the pressure on the Biden administration to really provide assistance to help with the flow of migrants into the city. Are you satisfied with the response that you're getting so far?

Mayor Adams: What I am pleased with is how we have had a real healthy conversation. They have identified the migrant issue is a real crisis. We need the Republican Party to have real comprehensive immigration reform. I was extremely pleased with the congressional delegation and Senator Schumer, Congressman Jeffries to have those dollars placed in the omnibus bill and get $800 million dollars from F.E.M.A. But we must address this. In our conversations with the White House, clearly, they understand how this is a major impact on New York City.

Frey: And just to kind of build off of that, you spent the other night with some of those asylum seekers in New York. What should members of Congress know about that situation?

Mayor Adams: Well, those of us who are elected, I may be the mayor of New York City, but I identify with those asylum seekers. As a child, we lived from home to home with relatives, and I wanted to go there on the coldest day of the year and let those asylum seekers know their pathway to pursue the American dream is all of our pathway. Congress must know, and the president and both sides of the aisle must know, these are our future leaders. These are our future owners of businesses. This is what America is made of, and we must make sure that we look at the destabilization in their countries, secure our borders appropriately, and have a real pathway to the American dream.

Frey: To both of you, are you confident that Republicans might work with Democrats to do some form of immigration reform? I mean, how likely do you realistically think that is?

U.S. Representative Espaillat: If you look at it, the Republican Party has been a strong ally of the business community. And anywhere you go, you will hear business people, even small businesses or large businesses, they need workers. They really need workers. And for our economy to fully move forward and to get a shot in the arm, we need those workers and they're here. They're called immigrants. In fact, all chapters of history when you see a major rebound for the economy, you've always had immigrant labor right in the middle of the mix. So, I think that that's the angle. Farm workers, you hear the agricultural sector of America, they need farm workers. You go to a restaurant and you're slow to get your order. Guess what? They need a worker. And so this is what we must do. We must embrace them. There must be some level of comprehensive immigration reform at some point, but we must make sure our economy continues to move forward.

Mayor Adams: And that's the win-win. I think the Congressman stated it right. Oftentimes when we’re communicating with people, we're communicating from a place where we are and not from a place where they are. If you're pro-business, this is an opportunity. Every corporation, every corporate leader that I sit down, they’re stated: mayor we need workers. The workers are here. And they're well-trained workers. One of the gentlemen I spoke with while we were at the HERRC, we learned that he was a writer. He was a journalist. They just came here to pursue the American dream. And we have real individuals who are first generation right here in this country now. They want to be part of this dream. We got a good product, but we cannot be upset with people that want to participate in the product we call the American dream.

Frey: But are you confident that something could get done?

Mayor Adams: I'm confident that it is possible to do so if we don't talk at each other and we talk with each other. There's a reason the flag has red, white, and blue. You could be on the red side and the blue side, let's come together and make America what it is.

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