Hochul, Adams call for Washington to expand immigration protections, blame GOP for 'chaos and dysfunction'

Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday called on President Biden to expedite work authorization for asylum seekers.

"So we're calling on the White House, the United States Department of Homeland Security, to ensure our newest Americans can work lawfully and build stable lives for themselves in our country," Adams said. "Instead of putting the responsibility squarely on the cities in general, and specifically in New York City, we must have the responsibility for care to have the national decompression strategy that is deserving of this crisis we are facing, must help our fellow arrivals to be a participant in the American dream."  Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace. 

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act arguably passes the buck to Congress to act on work authorization and other protections for asylum seekers, but Adams and Hochul seemingly suggested President Biden could step in during the current crisis through an executive order. Doing so, officials argued at the press conference, would allow migrants to start paying into the tax system, allowing the state to, in turn, better supply services to its current population of nearly 20 million.