It is said that a broken clock is right twice a day. The phrase applied this week to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who after years of pushing for more rights and benefits for illegal immigrants finally got it right. On Thursday, Cuomo said that given the state’s financial straits, he is not willing to dole out taxpayer-funded coronavirus relief to illegal aliens.
The governor was asked by a reporter during his daily COVID-19 press conference whether New York would follow California in doling out cash assistance to illegal aliens, particularly since the state presently has a $10 to $15 billion deficit.
Before directly answering the question, Cuomo said Congress has a responsibility to pass legislation to aid states hit hardest by the pandemic. But, if they don’t, Cuomo said fiscal concerns have to be a priority.
“When you are broke, it would be irresponsible to do these things,” he said, a statement that prompted a reporter to ask if that meant illegal immigrants have “no shot” at receiving government funds.
“Well, we’re looking at it, but we have real financial problems right now,” responded Cuomo, who noted he already nixed plans to give state workers automatic raises.
But his decision is not winning the governor any friends among open borders groups. Make the Road NY, the activist group behind driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, posted a statement in response to Cuomo, in their words, “dismissing the idea of providing direct relief for immigrant” New Yorkers.
“It is frankly outrageous that Gov. Cuomo refuses to meet the urgent needs of immigrant NYers,” said Co-Executive Director Javier Valdes. “We demand a full recovery for all, which must include direct cash assistance from New York State that prioritizes the needs of undocumented people.”
In a tweet a day before the press conference, New York Communities for Change, another radical activist organization, slammed Cuomo for providing “ZERO relief for undocumented immigrants.”
Like Cuomo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s term in office has been marked by giveaways to illegal immigrants from spending $100 million to cover a free health care plan for illegal aliens to loosening housing requirements to allow them access to hard-to-get subsidized housing. However, Cuomo’s revised budget shows he is willing to cut $827 million from critical education programs, youth job training programs, mandate hiring freezes and delay infrastructure maintenance, but not scale back on programs for illegal aliens.
In fact, de Blasio announced Thursday that he is partnering with Open Society Foundation, the radical group led by George Soros, to give millions in “emergency relief” to illegal immigrants. While the funding for the New York City COVID-19 Immigrant Emergency Relief program comes from Soros, city workers who are paid by taxpayers will be responsible for planning, organizing and distributing the money.
While Cuomo has in the past approved driver’s licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, he deserves praise for prioritizing the needs of law-abiding, hard-working New Yorkers at a time of unprecedented crisis. Sadly, de Blasio again has failed to do the right thing.