Biden’s migrant crisis will cost New York $4.2 billion, more than double what the mayor warned

A billion thanks, Joe… uh, let’s make it four billion!

The Biden administration’s escalating migrant crisis could cost New York taxpayers $4.2 billion by the middle of next year, more than double Mayor Eric Adams’ recent worst-case scenario.

The staggering amounts to be spent through June 30, 2024, the end of fiscal year 2024, according to an internal memo from City Hall obtained by The Post on Tuesday.

In it, the Office of Management and Budget said Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to provide the city with $1 billion in migrant relief over two years would cover less than 30% of housing costs.

The OMB also warned that the record $227 billion budget plan unveiled by Hochul last week would cut total government assistance to the city by $461 million in FY2024 and $1.34 billion in FY25.

According to the OMB memo, Hochul’s proposed budget “poses problems for the city if passed as written, especially as the city’s financial situation has already worsened due to the migration crisis.”

Hizzoner initially valued the migrant crisis at $1 billion when it declared a state of emergency in October, then increased that figure “from $1.5 billion to $2 billion” last month.

But Adam’s record-setting $102.7 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 did not include any specific spending on the migrant crisis, prompting State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to criticize the mayor for failing to account for “expected recurring costs.”

First reported by Politico, an OMB memo said that Hohul’s pledge to provide $373 million in migrant relief in FY 2023 and another $623 million in FY 2024 will only cover 29% of the city’s housing-only spending.

These figures suggest that the total cost of the migrant crisis will be almost $3.5 billion.

But City Hall said Tuesday that the Adams administration actually plans to spend $1.4 billion on migrants in FY 2023 and $2.8 billion in FY 2024, for a total of $4.2 billion.

Under Hohul’s plan, the cost of the migrant crisis would be equally divided into three parts between the city, state and federal government, which has provided less than $8 million so far of the $1 billion Adams is demanding from President Biden’s administration.

On Sunday, The Post reported exclusively that the city is paying for bus tickets that take migrants to upstate Plattsburgh, where they travel north in taxis and vans and cross Canada illegally.

Several migrants told The Post they are leaving Gotham in search of better job opportunities and a better quality of life in the Great White North.

More than 44,700 migrants have flooded into the city since spring, according to the latest official figures, of which more than 28,800 are housed in 88 temporary shelters.