Former President Bill Clinton has joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in calling for changes to the city’s “Right to Shelter Law” in light of the ongoing migrant crisis. During an interview on 77 WABC radio’s “The Cats Roundtable” show, Clinton expressed his agreement with Hochul’s stance that the law, which mandates sheltering for the homeless, needs to be modified.
“It’s broken. We need to fix it,” Clinton told host John Catsimatidis. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
The “Right to Shelter” law has been in place in New York City for over 40 years and requires that the city provide shelter for all homeless individuals. However, with the influx of migrants seeking asylum in the city, both Clinton and Hochul believe that the law needs to be adapted to better address the current situation.
“They come here, and we’re supposed to shelter people who can’t get work permits for six months. We need to change that,” Clinton stated, highlighting the need for migrants to start contributing to the economy through work and taxes.
According to Clinton, the “low birth rate” in the United States means that the economy needs to be supported by either “immigrants or machines.” He suggested building more housing just over the Rio Grande, with the support of the Mexican government, to hold migrants and allow for a more controlled and streamlined process of admission into the country for those seeking employment.
The former president also acknowledged that the current chaos surrounding the migrant crisis has been “very beneficial” for Republicans, particularly in terms of drawing attention to the flaws in the immigration system and the lack of adequate facilities and resources at the border.
Furthermore, Clinton addressed the recent losses of Democratic seats in New York, attributing it to the party’s failure to effectively address the crime problem in the city and their handling of the migrant crisis.
“The Democrats lost enough seats in New York because of reaction to the crime problem here and the sense that – we, my party – didn’t have a good commonsense approach to it,” he said, also noting that the influx of migrants has played a role in this sentiment among voters.
In conclusion, both Clinton and Hochul have expressed the need for changes to be made to the “Right to Shelter Law” in order to address the ongoing migrant crisis in New York City. As the situation continues to develop, it remains to be seen what adjustments will be made to the law and how the city will handle the influx of migrants in the future.
