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Adams Called Migrants 'Excellent Swimmers'
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is catching some heat after making a remark that has people on both sides of the political spectrum upset. During a weekly press conference, Adams was asked about the shortage of lifeguards in the city. In his response, he insinuated that migrants would be a good choice because they're excellent swimmers. “How do we have a large body of people that are in our city and country that are excellent swimmers, and at the same time we need lifeguards?” he said on May 14.
“We have all these eligible people waiting to work with the skills we need to fill the jobs but we are unable to allow them to work because bureaucracy is in the way,” Adams continued. “The only obstacle is that we won’t give them the right to work to become a lifeguard. That just doesn’t make sense.”
NYC, like many other cities, is struggling to find enough lifeguards to keep its pools and water parks open. Recently, a raise to $22 per hour was approved, and returning seasonal lifeguards who work through the peak season will receive a $1,000 bonus. Still, there are a lot of tower chairs to fill. While Adams’ idea to have migrants take some of the positions may have merit, the way he proposed it has thrown him into the spotlight once again.
Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the mayor’s comment implied “that because some folks had to swim or wade through water on their dangerous journey seeking safety here in the United States,” that would make them good lifeguards. He added that the comment is racist and that the mayor needs to stop using dangerous language like this.
Some Republicans took offense as well. Senator Marsha Blackburn (TN) asked on her social media page whether it was okay Democrats and President Joe Biden thought that breaking the law by crossing into the country illegally was “qualification for employment in our country.”
New Bill to Deport Illegals Who Assault Law Enforcement
A bill that would deport illegal migrants if they assault a police officer passed the House of Representatives on May 15 with a vote of 265 to 148. While 54 Democrats voted with the GOP in favor of this measure, 148 voted against it.
Introduced by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), the legislation is called the “Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act.” In February, he said, “There is no reason that an illegal alien who attacks our law enforcement should remain in our country; that shows zero respect for our rule of law or our institutions, and they will not be positive contributors to society.”
The bill would create a new category for migrant inadmissibility, Van Drew explained, dealing with illegals who assault police and other civil employees. Supporters of the bill say it is needed, given the recent attacks against peace officers by those in the country illegally. Still, a majority of Democrats voted against it. The bill still has to go to the Senate for approval.
By the Numbers
Fox News released data on May 15 it had obtained regarding a more accurate count of illegal migrants evading Border Patrol agents, which the outlet says, “skyrocketed under the Biden administration.” The information was gathered by a Freedom of Information Act that detailed immigrants who were able to avoid agents but were detected by other surveillance forms, such as cameras and sensors.
In 2020, there were 136,808 gotaways at the border, according to the report. In 2021, the number rose to 387,398, “which coincided with the last months of the Trump administration and the first months of the Biden administration.” In 2022, that number was 606,131, and in 2023 it was 670,674. “This means that there were more gotaways in FY21-23 (1.6 million) than the decade of FY 2010 and FY 2020 (1.4 million).”
Notable Quotes
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens expressed his concern to the House committee about gotaway migrants:
If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk? That’s of concern to me. What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform."
What will next week bring us in Open Borders America?
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