Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears on Televisa's "En Punto Con Enrique Acevedo"

October 6, 2023

Enrique Acevedo: You have the Statue of Liberty, you know, you can see that from Manhattan. And the ideals of welcoming people into the American way of life, do you think that's changed, and now we live in a moment in history where migrants are no longer welcome in the U.S. in a city like New York?

Mayor Eric Adams: No. I think just the opposite. We said give us your tired. You know, we said and put that call out. What we said also is that your American dream should not turn into American nightmare. Sleeping on the streets, sleeping on cots, having your children in an environment that is not conducive to their full development of their mental and physical personhood is not giving someone that dream. That's a nightmare.

Acevedo: Do you think this immigration crisis, this latest wave is the biggest threat facing financial stability and the integrity of New York City?

Mayor Adams: Yes, it is. We have $106 billion budget, $76 billion of that we can't touch because it's already accounted for. We have $30 billion that we can move around to deal with ending institutional poverty. Out of that $30 billion, $12 billion is going to go to this crisis. This could financially devastate our city.