Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, slammed Rockland County Executive Ed Day as “antisemitic” and “racist” after he issued a restraining order blocking the Dem mayor from sending busloads of asylum seekers.
Mayor Adams tried to distance himself from GOP Texas Governor Greg Abbott, telling reporters that New York City was only taking volunteers and footing the bill. Adams stressed his office has been conversing with Orange and Rockland county officials — an assertion the counties have disagreed with.
“When you look at the County Exec [Ed] Day, I mean this guy has a record of being antisemitic, you know, his racist comments,” said Adams, without giving examples. “You know, his thoughts and how he responded to this, it shows a lack of leadership.”
Mayor Adams’ office pointed to past reports that portrayed Day’s comments as pitting voters against a bloc of Ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities.
Day snapped back at Mayor Adams, saying, “The mayor can call me every name in the book to deflect the reality of this clear disregard for our laws. And maybe he can explain his own documented ‘racist comments.’”
Day was referencing comments Adams, who is a former officer, made before becoming mayor when he called white cops “crackers.” Adams apologized later for the remarks.
Adams plans to relocate several hundred asylum seekers
Adams’ comments, made Thursday, came amid his plan to relocate several hundred asylum seekers to hotels in New York’s Rockland and Orange counties.
Leaders in Rockland and Orange counties have rebuffed Adams’ plan to send more than 300 migrants to Orange County’s The Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh and Rockland County’s Armoni Inn & Suites Hotel in Orangeburg. Migrants arrived at the Newburgh hotel on Thursday.
Rockland County obtained a temporary restraining order from a state Supreme Court judge on Tuesday after successfully arguing that the move violated local zoning regulations.
Thursday, Adams said legal challenges wouldn’t deter the city.
“You can’t use the court to deny people to move around the State of New York,” said Adams. “We’re going to challenge all of the legal obstacles that are attempting to be placed in our way because it would set a bad precedent if someone was saying in the State of New York that you are not allowed to come here.”
The border crisis has led to 60,000 asylum-seeking migrants being sheltered by New York City alone at taxpayer’s expense since last spring — a bill predicted to hit $4.3 billion by mid-2024, warned Adams.
