Mayor Adams says maybe migrants can help fill the lifeguard shortage.
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports + © Mike Dickie/The Daily Telegram / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Omar Ornelas / El Paso Times
(New York, NY) – What is New York City going to do about the ongoing lifeguard shortage? Mayor Eric Adams has an idea. Hire the migrants!
During his weekly availability with reporters on Tuesday, Mayor Adams lamented the ongoing lifeguard shortage. He had been asked about staffing at city beaches and pools. Adams made the claim that migrants are good swimmers, but then said they can’t be legally hired without a work visa. The mayor then suggested that process should be sped up.
The comment sparked controversy on social media as many people were perplexed by the insinuation that all migrants are good swimmers. More than a few wondered if Adams was succumbing to stereotypes, and the potentially misguided belief that all migrants must swim to cross the border or make their way north.
Adams has been relatively consistent in saying that bureaucracy is a road block to getting migrants working legally, and he argues that’s the key to people achieving independence and self-sufficiency.
