Trenton Mayor: We Can’t Take Migrants Because ‘We Have Our Own Societal Problems’ to Fix on Poverty, Joblessness

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” Trenton, NJ Mayor Reed Gusciora stated that the city can’t take in migrants because “we’ve had food pantries, we have people out of work. And half of our population is under the poverty line.” And “we have our own societal problems that we’re trying to address.”

Host Laura Coates asked what the city would do if the 21 migrants who arrived over the weekend and stayed in the city didn’t have family members to take them in.

Gusciora responded, “We don’t have the resources to absorb them. It’s truly a humanitarian crisis that’s left at our doorsteps. They may have medical or food needs or shelter needs. We cannot absorb it. We’re too small of a city. So, we really need Congress to get back to work.”

He added, “Well, after the pandemic, we’ve had food pantries, we have people out of work. And half of our population is under the poverty line. So, we have our own societal problems that we’re trying to address. It just becomes expounded when a group of migrants who are well-intentioned come into our city, they may have some humanitarian needs, but we don’t have the resources to address them.”

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