When heโs not over-policing train stations or getting baptized at Rikerโs Island, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is busy making incendiary remarks about migrants. At a City Hall briefing Tuesday, Adamsโwho seemingly took a page out of Trumpโs playbookโshared how he believes New Yorkโs lifeguard shortage can be solved.
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Adams said that the shortageโwhich is happening right before Memorial Dayโcan be fixed if migrant work visas were expedited so jobs can be filled in a rapid fashion. However, his reasoning was downright ignorant.
โHow do we have a large body of people that are in our city, our country, that are excellent swimmers and at the same time we need lifeguardsโand the only obstacle is that we wonโt give them the right to work to become a lifeguard?โ Adams earnestly asked. โThat just doesnโt make sense.โ
Adams didnโt stop there. He continued his asinine reasoning and discussed other jobs that migrants could fill if work permits were accelerated. โIf we had a plan that said, โIf there was a shortage of food service workers and those who fit that criteria, weโre going to expedite you,โ if you have experience that you are a nurse and we have nursing shortage, we would expedite you,โ Adams stated.
โItโs the same for lifeguards. We have all these eligible people waiting to work, with the skills we need to do the jobs, but we are unable to allow them to work.โ This isnโt the first time the mayor has made controversial remarks about this particularly vulnerable population.
Earlier this year, Adams made a call to change New Yorkโs sanctuary policy so it would become easier to deport migrants accused of crimes. Adamsโ political tenure has been saturated with contentionโthis is simply the latest example of it.
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