Eric Adams raps to Kamala Harris due to migrant crisis: ‘Too much in her portfolio’

Mayor Eric Adams appears to have lashed out at Vice President Kamala Harris over the city’s $4.2 billion migrant crisis, marking the first time he has directly blamed President Biden’s controversial “frontier czar.”

“There should be someone who is doing a decompression strategy for the federal government. Someone needs to be at these entry points: El Paso, Brownsville, Texas and others to organize a real decompression strategy across the country,” Adams said during a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday.

“There is one person we need to pay attention to – it is often argued that the role of VP is too big in her portfolio to focus only on executing this decompression strategy. If not, the decompression strategy can’t be in New York.”

Hizzoner did not elaborate on whether he was blaming Harris for passing the ball or blaming Biden for overloading his fighting No. 2 with more responsibilities she can’t handle.

Adams spokesman Fabien Levy declined to comment on Wednesday, saying: “We’ll let the mayor’s comments yesterday speak for themselves.”

But a source with knowledge of Adams’ White House contacts and thinking described the mayor as fed up with Harris.

“It’s disappointing that you don’t have a person in charge on the topic who is high enough to make adjustments in response to the crisis on the ground. The main contact was [the Department of] National Security Service,” the source said.

Harris’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republicans in Congress have seized on apparent divisions among some of the nation’s most powerful Democrats.

“The Biden administration has created the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, and that’s where the responsibility stops,” said Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-Oswego). “The Vice President has proven his incompetence and lack of leadership skills to deal with this disaster that threatens the safety of our taxpayers and lawful residents on a daily basis.”

Tenney also accused Adams of “adding fuel to the fire by hosting illegal immigrants and begging for billions of dollars to feed, house and care for them at the expense of New York’s taxpayers.”

U.S. Representative Nick Langworthy (R-Jamestown), who is also the state’s GOP chairman, said of Adams, “He complains about Joe Biden’s open border policy.”

“The fish rots from the head, and this administration has proven that they will never take our border security seriously, whether it’s the hapless ‘border king’ Kamal or anyone else,” he said.

Biden nominated Harris in March 2021 to lead his administration’s efforts to curb the influx of migrants across the southern border, but she was quickly criticized by Republicans for not immediately visiting the region.

She did, after all, make the trip three months later, shortly after former President Donald Trump announced she would be traveling across the border with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Harris’ tenure as vice president was also marred by a series of gaffes and layoffs of senior staff, with Politico quoting a source who said “people feel like they’re being treated like crap” by Biden #2, and others told the Washington Post that she is a “hooligan” with a “heart-destroying” management style.

Adams’ comments about Harris came after being asked what he wants from the Biden administration to help the Big Apple deal with the migration crisis.

Adams said the White House “has to figure out how they’re going to distribute $800 million” in migrant relief, which was part of a $1.7 trillion comprehensive spending plan that Biden signed into law in December.

The city received less than $8 million of the $1 billion requested by Adams.

“This is taking too long. We must do it. Let’s channel the money,” Adams said.

Adams also reiterated his call for “real immigration reform”, saying, “You know, this is a real problem that we have to solve.”

The mayor’s Q&A with reporters took place after he announced the creation of a new Office for Asylum Seekers.

Adams said the agency will open a “24-hour arrivals center” to replace the temporary Port Authority bus terminal in midtown Manhattan.

Hizzoner also said he was in talks with unspecified “cities in the state and across the country” to resettle some of the New York migrants.

According to a glossy, magazine-style pamphlet issued by City Hall, the city plans to offer migrants “the opportunity to move to Sullivan County, attend SUNY Sullivan Community College, live in college residences, and earn a high school diploma or degree.” .