The cost of the migrant crisis: Letters to the Editor, Nov. 23, 2023

The migrant crisis has taken it’s toll on NYC and it’s coffers. ZUMAPRESS.com

The Issue: Resources in New York City and the state going toward housing migrants.

President Biden’s open-border policies are now affecting the funding of the police and education systems in New York City (“NY immig $ituation makes no sense: Manchin,” Nov. 20).

The cost of migrants walking across the border and receiving housing, health insurance and living essentials are making US citizens less safe. This is causing New York to support migrants over our own citizens.

Albany County Democrats have voted against bills to keep track of the financial impact of the migrants who are arriving. Their message is: Get over it and get ready for the next wave.

Elections do have consequences. Think before you vote next year.

Paul Burgdorf

Albany

The migrant crisis has directly impacted safety in New York.

Mayor Adams has announced budget cuts all over — but especially to the police force — to pay for the expanding migrant population.

We have a right to live peacefully. That right should not be trumped by the rights of those who break the law.

Mindy Rader

New City

As sad as the migrant crisis is for those desperately seeking a better life for themselves and their families, we shouldn’t lose sight of the negative impact it has on citizens.

Most of us pay a substantial portion of our income for federal and state taxes.

All of this is allegedly necessary to support the government — the same government that seems to have no problem inviting and supporting waves of migrants.

Simple question: Why are we being taxed to death when the government always seems to be able to come up with billions on demand (despite being trillions in debt) for migrants and any other pet project?

Niles Welikson

Williston Park

New York City voters are to blame for the twin pillars of the financial crisis — excessive debt and spending.

The combined financial incompetence of Mayors Bill de Blasio and Adams can only be corrected by the pain of budget cuts, which damage quality of life and will result in more middle-class citizens leaving New York City.

Ed Houlihan

Ridgewood, NJ

The Issue: Team Biden’s consideration of the United Nations as a security solution in Gaza.

It’s clear that the Biden administration has never learned anything, nor forgotten anything, from its many Mideast policy failures (“Hand the UN Gaza?” Eugene Kontorovich, PostOpinion, Nov. 20).

Biden would hand governance of a post-Hamas Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, while security would be entrusted to interim United Nations peacekeepers. The history of the latter, as Kontorovich demonstrated, is one of abject failure.

A liberated Gaza must be demilitarized and de-radicalized by Israel. Rather than a return to past failures, might not an internal moderate leadership arise?

Some sort of shared leadership might avoid the emergence of yet another citizen-crushing one-party state.

After Gazans have suffered under dystopian Hamas rule, that might just happen.

Richard Wilkins

Syracuse

Israel should not depend on the UN for security. The UN has a record of anti-Israel bias if you consider its total absence of oversight of Hezbollah.

Israel must have a military presence in Gaza until any threat to its security is eliminated. An international peacekeeping force can oversee Gaza’s recovery after.

Otherwise, more wars will follow.

Mel Young

Lawrence

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