Protests on Staten Island to put migrants elsewhere.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is Vito for Sella, the Borough President of Staten Island and he’s got a migrant problem too, and Borough President for Sella, give us a what is going on in Staten Island? What are we doing?

0:16 Speaker 2 Well? First off, John, thank you so much for having me. I really always appreciate being with you. And what we have is not unique to Staten Island and it’s not new to New York City. We’ve been banging the drum for about a year that when New York City said, come on up, we’ll take care of you, we’ll put

0:34 you in a hotel, we’ll feed you indefinitely, we’ll do free health care, free education. Who’s going to say no to that. So as a result, today almost one hundred thousand have arrived and the city is currently scrambling to find places for the asylum seekers to live, and they’re coming to Staten Island. And what we’ve said from day

0:57 one is the policy is unsustainable and that the people of Staten Island didn’t create this problem. It was the federal government that allowed the open borders to remain open and watch that flood come up from Texas, from Arizona and elsewhere, and now We’re seeing it every single day on Staten Island, and most recently, not only will they

1:19 plan to convert in a former facility that housed senior citizens to migrants, but they’re looking at a place called Fort Wadsworth, which was an active military installation and currently a national park and shared by the US Coast Guard.

1:34 So that means that there were young military families living there and just a few hundred feet from their homes. That’s contemplating putting a migrant tent facility there. And what we say is, if you’re going to put him here, before you do anything in Staten Island, put him in the National Mall in Washington, d C. Because that’s where

1:53 the problem ultimately will be solved.

1:56 Speaker 1 Yes, it’s Washington created the problem. Washington. I understand that the President Biden’s representative, Perez, came to New York and told the mayor that they can’t have any money from Washington until after Biden’s reelection. I mean, is that true.

2:21 I’ve saw it in several places, and I really some people are denying it. Some people are telling you that’s true.

2:28 Speaker 2 John. You’re you’re the person Whoways admires so much because of your common sense and your trust. But verify and you see what’s real and what’s not real. So the bottom line, as I see this, I don’t know what to belief. You know, these are the same folks who say the border is closed and there’s no problem. I

2:47 mean with straight faces they say it, but we know it’s not true. So how can we really take into account what they say about other things? And the money is real. You know, about a year ago we talked about six hundred million dollars to accommodate the migrants. Now that they’re talking about twelve billion dollars. So the price

3:07 tag has jumped to twenty times in less than a year. And you’re talking about possibly spending about one hundred and forty thousand dollars per year for a migrant family. And what can’t be surprised because if you’re paying three hundred bucks a night, that’s nine thousand dollars a month just for a hotel room. And at the.

3:27 Speaker 1 Same do the myth somebody’s getting rich in those hotel rooms. I wonder who that is.

3:34 Speaker 2 Well that’s a topic for another day. But there’s no question if the city comes along that says we want to rent your room, for three hundred dollars a night indefinitely. Who’s not going to take that deal?

3:45 Speaker 1 And we think everybody what may.

3:46 Speaker 2 Have happened at the Highway, we think that’s what happened at the Senior Center. There was talk about selling the building, perhaps a couple of prospective buyers, and then they pulled the rugout from that and all of a sudden, voila, they’re turning it over to a migrant shelter and we don’t even know what if they’re charging there. So the

4:06 full circle is this problem has been unsustainable. I believe that the right to shelter concept should be challenged because it was never meant to accommodate one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand people.

4:17 Speaker 1 It was meant for. It was meant for a few thousand people, of a couple of one hundred people, of a couple of families. It wasn’t meant for one hundred thousand people. Is out of control.

4:27 Speaker 2 It was actually meant originally forty about forty years ago for a handful of men who were homeless, derelics, whatever you want to call them, in the Bowery for the winter months, and that has morphed into this concept is it’s not a law. People say it’s a law. It is not a law. People say it’s in the New

4:43 York State Constitution. It is not. It is a consent decree that should and could be challenged and that will help to solve this problem as well.

4:53 Speaker 1 Vito Facella Borough, President Staten Island, thank you so much for bringing everybody up to date this Sunday morning, and we’ll catch up with you again, go soon. Thank you so much.

5:03 Speaker 2 Thank you so much. John, have a great Sunday, Appreciate it.