What Biden can and can’t do to get migrants working

Expediting work authorization for migrants won’t be quick. And in this political climate, it won’t be easy. There’s actually only so much that President Joe Biden can change, making the pressure from Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams and others limited in its ability to lead to change. So how could work eligibility be expanded? Consider the two primary options: Asylum and temporary protected status. Few migrants have applied for asylum. (Only 3,001 had done so with the aid of the city’s help center as of last week, according to Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom.) It’s Congress, not Biden, that has the power to shorten the current six-month wait between applying for asylum and receiving work documents. It’s a non-starter with a GOP-led House that wants border security. “Your actions at the state level have only further incentivized illegal immigration,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and three other Republicans recently wrote to Hochul. And if the fact that zero House Democrats attended Adams’ rally for work permits is any indication, it’s not a top priority for that party nationally either. But what Biden can do without Congress is designate and re-designate temporary protected status, or TPS, to countries with ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, epidemics and similar temporary conditions. Data provided by City Hall shows that 41 percent of migrants are from Venezuela, 18 percent are from Ecuador and 13 percent are from Colombia. Hochul and others have specifically called for TPS to be expanded for Venezuelans. Organized labor leaders used this past Labor Day to urge that Biden use TPS to get job openings filled in industries like health care and construction. “Bidenomics is about growing our economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” said SEIU president Mary Kay Henry, calling Biden’s obstacles “the terribly polarized politics and the demonization of immigrants.” There would still be a wait after applying, albeit a shorter one than in the asylum process. For those migrants eligible to apply under current rules, help is needed with the paperwork. Hochul said the White House committed to helping New York identify the thousands in the state who can apply for work authorization but have yet to do so. The current reality is that many migrants are working off the books. “But if they have work authorization, that opens up a universe of workforce training, of more professional opportunities,” City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said recently, adding such work “could be real net contributors to an economy, payroll, taxes.” IT’S TUESDAY. Welcome back and hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Greeting students on the first day of school in Westchester, then attending the annual meeting of the state Financial Control Board in Manhattan. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a public safety announcement with the MTA, then speaking before the state Financial Control Board and later hosting a pre-High Holidays roundtable with his Jewish Advisory Council. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I went through more of an emotional roller coaster in these last couple of weeks than I did going in and out of prison,” — Jeremy Rivera, a New York cannabis dispensary licensee who can’t open because of a lawsuit, the latest trouble for the industry. DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO’s scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. ABOVE THE FOLD New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives in Washington, DC, where he will testify before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee on gun Violence on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Mayor Eric Adams will be looking for someone to help head his Washington office. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office ADAMS NEEDS A NEW D.C. LOBBYIST: Adams is searching for a director of federal affairs in the midst of tensions with the White House over housing and work permits for migrants. Crystal Price was serving as the city’s ambassador in Washington, but she’s got a new job: as a deputy chief of staff in City Hall. Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy said there are no issues; Price wanted to move back to New York City and got promoted. Other insiders praised her as a star with a tough portfolio. It’s part of a staff shake-up, though: Adams’ director of city legislative affairs Jessica Carrano is now also a deputy chief of staff. Connor Martinez, who’s been a deputy, will now lead city leg. A lot of D.C. folks move jobs in August, when Congress is in recess, but it’s still a tough time for change as Adams tries to convince Biden to take more interest in the city. Most of those higher level dealings, however, are still handled by Tiffany Raspberry, Adams’ director of intergovernmental and external affairs. But relations could improve with Congress too. City Hall said that the delegation was invited to the mayor’s work permit rally Thursday, but not one of them showed up. — Jeff Coltin WHAT CITY HALL IS READING The cover "If Pets Could Vote..." a children's book by former NYC Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich. Former New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich, who has been charged in a sealed indictment, has written a children's book about animals in government. | Eric Ulrich & Joan Coleman MOVE OVER, DR. SEUSS: Former New York City Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich hasn’t liked the news stories featuring leaks about his expected impending indictment, telling POLITICO on Friday, “I’m disappointed that the Manhattan DA’s office has decided to play this out in the press. It’s extremely unprofessional for a prosecutor’s office to be run this way.” But Ulrich has his own story too: a children’s book “If Pets Could Vote…” he published last week, as a way to stay busy while waiting for the charges to come down. It became the #1 new release in children’s cartoon humor books on Amazon, ahead of “Frank the Farting Flamingo.” The book’s world has dogs as the judge and jury, with man’s best friend inclined to giving second chances. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is expected to release the indictment this month, and Ulrich could get a chance to tell his side of another story. — Jeff Coltin HOUSING POLL: Two-thirds of likely New York City voters say it’s “very important” to address the housing crisis, and 61 percent want lawmakers to prioritize creating more permanently affordable rental housing, according to a new survey from Data for Progress. But a majority of the 644 respondents appeared wary of for-profit real estate development. Just 13 percent said they want the city to prioritize making it easier for private developers to build, according to the results provided exclusively to POLITICO. And 49 percent had an unfavorable opinion of developers, compared to 23 percent with a favorable view. A majority — 60 percent — said they favored a not-for-profit, public approach to address housing shortages, compared to 31 percent who preferred relying on the free market and providing developers with financial incentives to build housing. Reducing barriers for private builders has been a key tenet of Adams’ plans to improve housing affordability. — Janaki Chadha More from the city: — A deeper look at Adams’ fight with the White House. (CNN) — DocGo is trying to land a $4 billion contract from the federal government amid troubles in New York. (Times Union) — Bringing the Cricket World Cup to the city is drawing a Bronx cheer. (NY1) JOIN US ON 9/12 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW AGE OF TRAVELING: In this new era of American travel, trending preferences like wellness tourism, alternative lodging and work-from-anywhere culture provide new but challenging opportunities for industry and policy leaders alike. Join POLITICO on Sept. 12 for an expert discussion examining how the resilience of the tourism and travel industries is driving post-pandemic recovery. REGISTER HERE. WHAT ALBANY'S READING Andrew Cuomo speaks during a meeting. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had some thoughts on the migrant crisis during a visit to the Hamptons over the weekend. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo CUOMO ON MIGRANTS: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sounded off on the migrant crisis while speaking to the monied set in the Hamptons this weekend. Cuomo blamed the political extremes on the right and left for making the problem worse, which in turn have made it more difficult for moderates to find a solution. “They are afraid to go near it because they are paralyzed by fear,” Cuomo said in his remarks, which were provided to Playbook. “Basically the federal government is telling the state of New York to pound sand.” Cuomo added, “Take control of the problem. Address the problem and pay for the problem.” Cuomo’s remarks came at the Capri Hotel in Southampton at a breakfast event hosted by billionaire John Catsimatidis with about 70 people in attendance, many of whom are part of “the donor class” in politics, according to a person with knowledge of the event. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — There’s been an increase in botched prosecutions due to speedy trial errors. (Times Union) — Medical marijuana companies are slamming New York’s implementation of legalized cannabis. (New York Post) — Business groups are unhappy with a pending measure that could make it easier to sue corporations in New York. (Crain’s) AROUND NEW YORK — Signs around Nassau County promoting parks and other amenities are also promoting County Executive Bruce Blakeman. (Newsday) — The war of words between the TWU’s John Samuelsen and the MTA is heating up. (New York Post) — If you have Spectrum and can’t watch ESPN, here are some options (Democrat and Chronicle) SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: April Ryan … POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha … WSJ’s Ted Mann … NYT’s Clay Risen … CBS’ Kris Van Cleave … John Furneaux … Fox News’ Amy Fenton … CNN’s Ann Marlow … Rachel Janfaza … (was Monday): Harold Ickes … Jonathan Silver … Alex Travelli … Chase Clymer … Sam Dagher ... SBA’s Matt Sonneborn … Teresa Morgenstern … Hagar Hajjar Chemali … Michael McAuliff … … (was Sunday): Brian Stelter … Edward Felsenthal … WSJ’s Kristina Peterson … Rick Perlstein … NBC’s Adam Reiss … CBS’ Erica Brown … former Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) … (was Saturday): Newsmax’s James Rosen … Margot Edelman … Lisa Barclay … Evan Viau of House Energy and Commerce … Ethan Zorfas … Jordan Blum … Michael Siroka … Steve Kwon HITCHED — Cory Epstein, senior vice president of communications at Tusk Holdings got engaged to Bernardo Leiferman, vice president at JPMorgan. (Pic of the happy couple) MAKING MOVES — Connor Martinez is now director of city legislative affairs for Adams. He was previously chief of staff in the community affairs unit and a field manager for Adams’ campaign … Antonio Quesada, a lobbyist at The Wright Group, is joining Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno as a senior government relations specialist. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.