Blue State Spends How Much On Border Crisis?
New York City has faced a severe financial strain in response to the ongoing migrant crisis, with nearly 200,000 individuals arriving in the city since mid-2022. The city has been at the forefront of managing this influx, which has resulted in expenditures exceeding $5 billion.
The vast majority of these migrants entered the U.S. illegally by crossing the southern border and have sought refuge in New York City, which has become the hardest-hit municipality nationwide. As they wait for their immigration court hearings, which can be years away, New York City has provided housing, food, and clothing for upwards of 212,000 migrants.
According to the NYC Humanitarian Crisis Response Tracker, the city spent approximately $4.8 billion in the fiscal years 2023 and 2024, covering expenses from July to June. A recent New York Post report indicates that the city’s expenditures likely surpassed $112 million in just the first six weeks of fiscal 2025, bringing the total amount spent to over $5 billion.
In 2024 alone, the city’s expenses soared to $3.43 billion, more than double the $1.45 billion spent in 2023. Between these two years, New York City allocated nearly $2 billion for housing, rent, and initial outfitting of the migrants. Additional costs included $1.9 billion for services and supplies, $488 million for IT and administrative expenses, $345 million for food, and $124 million for medical care.
The NYC Health and Hospitals Department and the NYC Department of Homeless Services emerged as the largest spenders, contributing nearly $4 billion to the response efforts. To manage the surge, the city established over 200 temporary shelters and invested tens of millions in acquiring hotels like the City View Inn and Springhill Suites by Marriott for migrant accommodation.
Initially, New York City operated under its Right to Shelter law, which guaranteed a bed to anyone who requested one. However, facing mounting pressures, the city later imposed limits on the duration of stay in city-funded housing.
This surge of migrants can be partially attributed to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to provide free bus rides to New York City. Since April 2022, Texas has transported approximately 45,900 migrants to NYC, making up roughly one-fifth of the total influx. Others have arrived via flights or other means.
In September of the previous year, New York City Council’s Minority Leader, Republican Joseph Borelli, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee that the city had projected spending $12 billion over three years due to the crisis.
Recent data indicates a significant decrease in migrant crossings at the southern border since their peak in December, when nearly 250,000 were apprehended. By July, preliminary figures showed arrests had dropped to below 60,000, which should lead to fewer new arrivals in cities like New York.
