Crowded Masses: New York welcomes you.
Empire State is poised to accept more than 860 refugees in the coming weeks as the Biden Administration airlift brings thousands of desperate Afghan allies to the United States after their government fell to the Taliban and forced them to flee. .
“As the world watches as instability unfolds in Afghanistan, New York is on the rise to once again serve as a beacon of hope and refuge,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“The cultural and community richness that refugees and immigrants bring to our state is beyond measure and the message to the world in uncertain terms is that our state is committed to helping those seeking refuge on our shores,” he added.
State officials had already agreed with the feds to host 1,320 refugees between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021 – and have already resettled 458 in New York communities, leaving capacity for 862 people.
In addition, the state said its hired agencies and networks of nonprofits could serve more than 5,000 refugees if needed.
New York has long been the first port of call for many families to immigrate or flee from other parts of the world.
This reputation was codified in the famous inscription of the Statue of Liberty, from the poem by Emma Lazarus “The New Colossus”, which says in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, your crowded masses who want to breathe freely ”.