As New York’s Migrant Crisis Eases, Trump’s Deportation Threat Looms

After a two-year influx of asylum seekers, New York City leaders are cautiously optimistic that the migrant crisis has begun to subside, and that the city’s emergency response is entering a new phase.

Fewer migrants are arriving from the southern border. Even more are leaving the city’s strained shelter system each week. And on top of the slowdown, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threats of mass deportations have injected a large dose of uncertainty into the situation.

The threat of an immigration crackdown may accelerate a nearly five-month trend: The number of migrants in city shelters has declined for 19 consecutive weeks, as crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped to record lows. As of Nov. 17, the city was housing 57,400 migrants in 210 shelters, hotels and tent complexes — a drop of 17 percent from a peak of 69,000 in January.

If the past two years were defined by how Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, managed to accommodate more than 223,000 new migrants, the next four will surely be focused on how the city navigates Mr. Trump’s deportation efforts.

The situation could quickly turn fraught amid the specter of immigration authorities ramping up their presence in New York, a liberal bastion known for its status as a sanctuary city.

How might the Trump administration affect migrants?

Mr. Trump indicated last week that he intended to utilize the U.S. military to help carry out his plans for mass deportations, though such a large-scale operation would face numerous legal, logistical and financial hurdles.