'Black Market of Employment': NYC Mayor Says City's Migrant Crisis Is Driving Prostitution Spike

New York City's migrant crisis is creating a "black market of employment" and driving a spike in prostitution, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.
During a Tuesday sitdown with ABC7, Adams blamed "an increase in prostitution in our city" on the thousands of migrants the city is receiving each month. For Adams, however, the issue does not highlight the need for tougher border policies—instead, Adams argued, President Joe Biden should make it easier for migrants to work after entering the United States.
"We have thousands of jobs. … We needed lifeguards over the summer. We could have filled those jobs," Adams said. "So we're hoping that the federal government looks at what we're saying and makes it happen."
Adams's comments come as New York City grapples with an ongoing migrant crisis that has divided political leaders. Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow New York Democrat, have accused each other of mishandling the crisis, which Adams said has seen 10,000 migrants enter the city each month. Adams, during a September town hall, said the crisis would "destroy the city" and impact public services for American citizens.