(NewsNation) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed additional New York National Guard personnel tasked with helping with the influx of migrants seeking refuge in the state. Even with the assistance, a New York congressman says New York City can’t keep up with the number of asylum seekers.
“We don’t have the ability to keep up. We don’t have the ability to process these asylum claims,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., said during an interview on “NewsNation Now.”
More than 110,000 migrants have entered New York City since last year, with at least 60,000 still being housed in municipal facilities.
“As we’ve seen in New York City, when you have places that want to refer to themselves as sanctuary cities but have zero plans in place to actually be that sanctuary, we create complete hysteria, which is what we’re seeing now,” D’Esposito said, later adding, “We need to get control of it.”
The congressman thinks finding solutions to the influx of migrants should begin at the border.
“I think we need to take a serious look at the border and shut it down. Start there,” D’Esposito said. “Obviously, we have zero control over the border.”
D’Esposito’s comments come as a congressional delegation visited Eagle Pass, Texas, on Monday, where law enforcement is experiencing high rates of border crossings. About 11,000 people reportedly entered Eagle Pass on Sunday, and some Republican lawmakers are calling the border crisis a “national embarrassment.”