A call for change is being made by GOP local leaders who are demanding the mayor’s office and Gov. Hochul do more to get migrants out of New York City. 

They’re asking for Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Hochul to take accountability, as leaders from the GOP from the five boroughs are saying they have had enough with migrants being housed in their districts.  

Over 100 migrants are currently being housed at St. Agnes High School, and residents in the area have voiced their unhappiness with this. Many at Tuesday’s press conference at St. Agnes say that they’re worried about who is entering these shelters, and that they’re also concerned about the lack of vaccinations among migrants, with nearly 20,000 migrant students set to enter the public school system.  

“Come into this country legally,” said Councilmember Vickie Paladino, who represents the district where St. Agnes is. “We are neglecting our own, our own homeless, our own people, so we can house them, throw billions of dollars at them…. What return are we getting on our dollar? Zero.” 

Other local officials at the press conference also called on Gov. Hochul to order a special session of the Legislature to address the ongoing migrant crisis.  

The governor's office provided News 12 with the following statement in response:

"Governor Hochul has led New York throughout this crisis, securing $1 billion in humanitarian aid in this year's legislative session and deploying 2,000 National Guard members. Republicans should be focused on pressuring their GOP colleagues in Washington to pass meaningful immigration legislation that fixes work authorization and helps end this crisis. Republicans have stood in the way of common-sense immigration reform for decades and now New York is facing the consequences."