New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Touts Illegal Immigration as Victory for Corporate Special Interests

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is praising illegal immigration to the state as a victory for big business and corporate special interests looking to flood the labor market with a readily-available flow of foreign workers with whom native New Yorkers will be forced to compete for jobs.

Since the spring of last year, more than 70,000 border crossers and illegal aliens have arrived in New York — with most showing up on buses to New York City without any connections there.

During a press conference this week, Hochul seemingly championed the wave of illegal immigration to New York as a net positive for business interests who are looking to secure a constant flow of cheaper foreign workers to hire in working-class jobs.

“There are not enough workers here in the state of New York,” Hochul said:

This is something that is effecting our economy, it’s just individuals, it’s effecting us with this historic labor shortage. But at the same time we have this historic labor shortage, we also have this unprecedneted influx of individuals arriving in New York — all of them legally seeking asylum. They’re eager to work, they want to work, they came here in search of work, for a new future … people are ready to start training them. [Emphasis added]

Hochul also named a number of reasons border crossers and illegal aliens are fleeing their native countries to cross the United States-Mexico border, though none of the reasons mentioned are valid claims for asylum.

“Now that we have over 70,000 people fleeing difficult, terrifying circumstances, whether it’s an oppressive regime in Venezuela, economic circumstances, great poverty, oppression, gang violence,” Hochul said, noting that state legislators recently approved $1 billion in taxpayer money to aid newly-arrived border crossers and illegal aliens.

Hochul also suggested that state officials are reviewing plans to begin housing migrants in airport hangars at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Unmentioned by Hochul is the strain that illegal immigration is putting on housing prices, rents, and availability for New Yorkers.

During a hearing before the subcommittee on immigration for the House Judiciary Committee, Teresa Kenny — who represents the small city of Orangetown that sits just above Manhattan — detailed for lawmakers how mass immigration is exacerbating her community’s housing problems.

“Orangetown, like the rest of New York state, is in a housing crisis — an affordability crisis,” Kenny said. “The question is, how are these [border crossers], without English skills, without family support going to integrate into our community?”

“I will tell you what will happen. They will end up renting from unscrupulous landlords and we know it’s happening because just this past March, there was a tragic housefire in Rockland that killed five undocumented immigrants and two children with five others being hospitalized.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.