New York City Mayor Eric Adams ignited a firestorm of criticism on Tuesday with remarks suggesting that illegal immigrants could help alleviate the city’s lifeguard shortage due to their swimming abilities.
Speaking during a City Hall briefing addressing the ongoing lifeguard staffing challenges, Mayor Adams questioned the logic of not allowing individuals, including illegal immigrants, the opportunity to work as lifeguards despite possessing excellent swimming skills.
“How 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 lifeguards — and the only obstacle is that we won’t give them the right to work to become a lifeguard,” Adams said.
“If we had a plan that said, ‘If there was a shortage of food service workers and those who fit that criteria, we’re going to expedite you,’ if you have experience that you are a nurse and we have nursing shortage, we would expedite you,” he added. “It’s the same for lifeguards.”
Mayor Adams says illegal aliens could be used to fill New York City's lifeguard shortage because they are "excellent swimmers." pic.twitter.com/IXDJNADnPY
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 14, 2024
The shocking insinuation made by Adams led to widespread mockery on social media, with conservative Christian satire site “The Babylon Bee” editor in chief Kyle Mann even joining in to joke about firing his writers “for not coming up with this one before reality did.”
Firing my @TheBabylonBee writers for not coming up with this one before reality did https://t.co/uOofOrB6xR
— Kyle Mann (@The_Kyle_Mann) May 14, 2024
Adams’ comments come against the backdrop of a persistent lifeguard shortage in New York City, prompting authorities to relax qualification criteria for applicants in recent months.
The mayor elaborated on his proposal to address the staffing issues, advocating for expedited processes similar to those implemented for professions facing shortages in other sectors. However, his remarks drew swift backlash, with critics accusing him of insensitivity and reinforcing stereotypes.
New York City has grappled with a significant influx of illegal immigrants, receiving approximately 160,000 asylum seekers since April 2022. The strain on resources prompted Mayor Adams to implement budget cuts for government services last year to accommodate the growing illegal immigrant population.
Similar challenges have been observed in other major U.S. cities like Chicago and Denver, where significant taxpayer resources have been redirected to address the illegal immigrant crisis.
While the precise extent of illegal immigrants swimming across the Rio Grande remains unclear, Customs and Border Protection data indicate approximately six million encounters at the southern border since President Joe Biden assumed office, underscoring the complexities of the immigration situation.
