According to data from Siena College Research Institute, a staggering 82 percent of New Yorkers say that the recent influx of illegal aliens into the state is a “serious problem,” with 54 percent calling it “very serious.” More than half (58 percent) say that the state has done enough to accommodate migrants who’ve entered the U.S. illegally and that now officials should take stronger actions to stem the flow. Nearly half (46 percent) say that migrant resettlement over the past two decades has been a burden, rather than a benefit to the state, a figure driven largely by Republicans and independent voters. “New Yorkers – including huge majorities of Democrats, Republicans, independents, upstaters and downstaters – overwhelmingly say that the recent influx of migrants to New York is a serious problem for the state,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “However, that’s where partisan agreement ends. A plurality of Democrats says that migrants resettling in New York over the last two decades has been a benefit. But, a majority of independents and two-thirds of Republicans say that migrant resettlement has been a burden to the state." More than 5.5 million illegal aliens have crossed into the U.S. since President Joe Biden was sworn in. Following the influx, conservative border state governors, seeking to provide a relief valve for towns struggling to handle the surge, began sending migrants north to cities and states where officials pledged sanctuary status. As many as 1,000 migrants arrive in New York City each day, overwhelming the shelter system and leaving officials pleading with the federal government for additional resources. Taking care of illegal aliens costs the city about $10 million each day, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently warned that the overall price tag has already tripled to $12 billion. The Siena poll shows that voters disapprove of the job that both Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hocul are doing to address the influx. They also disapprove of the job the Biden administration is doing.Despite living in a “sanctuary state,” new poll numbers show that more than three-quarters of New Yorkers oppose the surge in migrants flooding the state.
