By: Hal C. Clarke

New York City is facing a growing crisis as the number of migrants arriving in the city continues to increase. The city has already seen more than 84,000 migrants processed through its local intake centers, and the facilities are beyond capacity.

In response to the crisis, the city is looking to hire private security guards to patrol its migrant facilities. The city’s police union has said that the department is struggling with a staffing crunch, and that officers feel “squeezed from every direction” thanks to such issues as forced overtime and burdensome oversight.

The NY Post revealed NYC Health and Hospitals made this request for private security at the migrant housing centers, but Mayor Adams admitted that there has been a level of private security all along,

“We’ve always had security at the shelters, always,” Adams said Monday. “You can’t put thousands of people in a shelter. It would be irresponsible not to have security.

“We’re just making sure we have the people,” he said. “Always making sure we have the security that we need.”

The city’s top GOP politician has raised questions about the city’s bid to hire guards, saying that it sends mixed messages about the safety of the migrant centers.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) has also criticized the city’s handling of the migrant influx, saying that Mayor Eric Adams’ “priorities are backward.”

“The No. 1 concern I hear from people in our city is public safety, yet instead of hiring more cops, he is spending taxpayers’ money on more services for migrants,” Malliotakis said.

“The city is short of cops and detectives, so those we have are being overworked, which only intensifies the stress and pressure that’s driving cops to retire and leave for other municipalities,” she said. “[City officials] have gone from defund the police to driving them out.”

The cost for the added coverage is not clear, but the HERRC sites and other services for the booming population of migrant asylum-seekers are already costing New York City taxpayers nearly $8 million a day, according to city officials. Mayor Eric Adams has estimated that the price tag for the recent crisis could total $4.5 billion by next June.

The city has not yet responded to a request for comment from The Post about the contract request.

In addition to the security concerns, there are also concerns about the impact of the migrant influx on the city’s schools, hospitals, and social services. The city’s school system is already facing a budget crisis, and the influx of migrants is only adding to the strain. The city’s hospitals are also struggling to cope with the influx, and there are concerns that the migrants may be bringing with them communicable diseases.

The migrant crisis is putting a strain on the city’s resources, and it is unclear how the city will be able to cope in the long term. The city’s leaders are facing a difficult decision: do they continue to spend money on services for the migrants, or do they focus on other priorities, such as public safety?

The decision the city makes will have a significant impact on the future of the city. If the city continues to spend money on services for the migrants, it will put a strain on the city’s budget and could lead to cuts in other services.