Like other “sanctuary cities,” New York has learned that being a refuge for illegal immigrants is a bad thing if they actually show up. So New York is buying them airplane tickets to go elsewhere. My colleague Bill Glahn reports:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune had a headline yesterday noting that Minnesota is among the top states to which New York City is redirecting its excess illegal immigrant arrivals. The Star Tribune writes,
Minnesota has emerged as a top destination for migrants accepting free plane tickets to leave New York City, as homeless shelters there strain to house a record surge of asylum-seekers.
Data released by the city shows that over roughly the past two years, 1,177 migrants have taken tickets to Minnesota—the fifth most popular destination.
So Minnesota now has a backlog of over 35,000 immigration cases to be adjudicated. How long will it take to hear 35,000 cases? I don’t know, if five judges hear one case per day, five days a week, 48 weeks a year, it would take 29 years. That assumes, of course, that no new illegals enter the state.
Why is there such an absurd number of immigration cases? I believe it is because every one of the billions of people who live in poor countries knows that if you show up at the U.S. border and say the magic word “asylum,” you are entitled to a hearing on whether you are a bona fide refugee. Someday. Of course, few illegals actually show up for these hearings, which I suppose expedites the docket.
And why is it that Minnesota is a popular choice for illegals who are offered free plane tickets out of New York? Perhaps the state’s lavish welfare benefits, along with the fact that illegal immigrants are entitled to free college tuition, free health insurance, and drivers licenses have something to do with it.
Bill notes that Minnesota’s foreign-born population now exceeds 500,000. Most of those are here legally. These days there are a lot more Muhammads being born here than Svens and Oles. And–no doubt by mere coincidence–there are more Minnesotans fleeing the state than there are migrants moving in.
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