Biden’s Democratic allies intensify pressure for asylum-seekers to get work permits

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — As migration to the United States from Venezuela and other countries soars, Democratic elected officials are pressing the Biden administration to quickly grant work permits for asylum-seekers while their cases wind through immigration courts. In New York City, tens of thousands of migrants have arrived over the past year. Mayor Eric Adams has increasingly sounded alarms and Gov. Kathy Hochul is floating the idea of state-issued work permits. Asylum-seekers must wait at least six months before they can get a work permit. That cannot be changed without Congress, but President Joe Biden took one significant step toward speeding worth authorization Wednesday for Venezuelans living in the U.S.