The Office of the State Comptroller has created this tool to document State and City emergency spending related to people seeking asylum. The information will be updated monthly. Data are available for download below.
State Spending
The 2025-26 Executive Budget Financial Plan indicates the State plans to spend $4.3 billion between State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022-23 through SFY 2025-26 for emergency spending related to people seeking asylum in the United States.
Emergency spending for asylum seekers totaled $1.66 billion through March 31, 2025.
Figure 1 – State Spending by Agency
(through month ending)
Note: Spending from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025.
Figure 2 – SFY 2024 and SFY 2025 Spending by Activity
Note: All other includes: Health Care & Related Services, Security, Translation, Transportation and General Services. Spending from April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025.
New York City Spending
Through March 31, 2025, the City of New York had recorded expenditures of $1.47 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, $3.75 billion in FY 2024 and $2.0 billion in FY 2025. However, FY 2025 expenses are not yet final. The largest spending is for payments to NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H) to operate Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRCs) and a central intake center, followed by the Departments of Homeless Services and Social Services for emergency shelter costs.
The City updated its cost projections in its January 2025 Financial Plan to $3.3 billion in FY 2025, $2.7 billion for FY 2026, $2.6 billion in FY 2027, and $850 million annually in FY 2028 and FY 2029.
Figure 3 – New York City Asylum Seeker Expenses by Agency, FY 2023, FY 2024 and FY 2025
(through March 31, 2025)
Note: New York City fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30.
* FY 2025 expenses have not yet been finalized.
Other Resources
State Contracts
Executive Order No. 28 declared a disaster emergency in the State of New York and temporarily suspended competitive procurement requirements and pre-audit review by the Office of the State Comptroller for contracts and contract amendments related to the emergency. Therefore, the Office of the State Comptroller is unable to identify with certainty all of the contract transactions entered into by the State to provide emergency spending for goods and services for asylum seekers.